


Twisting Time

by the_writer1988



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Harry is not the boy-who-lived, Horcruxes, Hurt/Comfort, Magical Bonds, Prophecy, Sirius is a time-traveller, Time Travel, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2018-08-27 19:12:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8413321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_writer1988/pseuds/the_writer1988
Summary: Sirius Black didn't die when he fell through the Veil, instead he is given a second chance, waking up as his twenty-one year old self, a week before Halloween 1981. Armed with knowledge of the future, Sirius fights to ensure the burden of prophecy doesn't fall on Harry's shoulders... But can he survive the war and keep his friends alive?





	1. Through the Veil

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story that is currently being posted on fanfiction.net. I am slowly going through my stories and editing them to post here.

**Chapter One**

In the moment the curse struck him Sirius Black felt three different things coursing through him: fear, worry and sadness. Fear because he knew he was dead, worry because he was leaving people he loved behind and sadness because he could have saved himself if he had stayed behind.

Shock registered across his features and his whole life flashed before his eyes. He’d lost control of his body and could not stop his descent as he began to fall back… He thought of Harry and how he had failed him and of how Remus would be left alone…

He had been standing too close to the archway, knew it was the end…

His cousin’s sadistic face was the last thing he saw as he tumbled back. He hit the curtain between the archway…

His heart stopped.

He couldn’t breathe.

He lost all sense of awareness.

He fell.

* * *

 

Falling.

He was falling into everlasting darkness.

His hands flayed in mid-air as he sought to find something to stop his descent. But there was nothing.

Images whirled around him. His vision was blurry as he attempted to focus upon the images. He thought it was images of his life.

But Sirius Black did not care about his own life. He had always cared about another person’s life: a certain messy black-haired teenager who had big green eyes and whose image was twisting around him as he fell.

Harry.

His godson.

He’d failed him.

Failed in his duty to protect him.

And grief overcame him.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again he was still falling.

He was dead, he knew, because he hadn’t been breathing for a while. His heart simply did not pump. He remembered being in a battle, duelling his insane cousin who had succeeded in getting a curse through his shields and smack straight into his chest, sending him backwards.

He’d fallen seeing his godson’s shocked face for the last time before the curtain of death had claimed him.

He hadn’t just failed Harry, he’d failed Moony, Dumbledore…but most of all he had failed James and Lily. Their last wish had been for Sirius to raise their son, something he had spectacularly failed at.

If he hadn’t been such a hot-headed idiot and gone straight to Dumbledore in the first place he wouldn’t have landed in Azkaban, imprisoned for crimes he had never officially been convicted for, and had not been responsible for, Harry would have grown up with his godfather instead of his magic hating relatives.

Everything had gone wrong. He’d let his temper and anger at Pettigrew get the best of him. If only he could go back and change things…

He saw himself, just then in the swirling images around him, a younger version of himself telling James and Lily his grand plan to fool Voldemort. It would have been fool-proof if Pettigrew had not been a traitor.

_Why did I ever suspect Moony?_

That was his greatest regret: not trusting Remus Lupin. He had deliberately cut Moony out of his life in the months preceding James and Lily’s death, convinced by whisperings of Peter Pettigrew that Moony was the traitor. Sirius had realised the moment he had discovered Pettigrew’s duplicity: the little rat had been setting them up for years.

And Sirius had fallen straight into the trap.

Sirius Black looked at the darkness surrounding him.

He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t move.

He was dead.

Killed by a curtain.

Most of all, Sirius Black had failed to save his friends.

* * *

The spectral shapes of a young man and woman moved forward: one with messy black hair and hazel eyes covered by glasses and the other with long red hair and green eyes watching as the lone figure fell through the abyss of darkness.

Their faces were sad.

“He shouldn’t have suffered,” said the woman.

“He made a mistake,” replied the black-haired shadow.

“We all did,” lamented the red-haired lady.

“We have the power, don’t we? Or is it the Veil?” the man looked at the woman.

“The Veil has the power. The Veil is a kind death but it gives those who loved the person who is falling a chance to change fate. Change what happened… The Veil can return us to the past…” Her green eyes met hazel. “We can send him back…”

The black-haired man nodded. “Change it. Make it for the better. Harry can have his family again.”

“But should we make that choice?” the red-haired woman asked.

Slowly, James and Lily Potter looked at one another. They held out their hands and nodded as one.

* * *

He became aware of a chant.

_“Make it right.”_

_“Make it right.”_

_“Make it right.”_

Sirius still couldn’t move. But then two spectral shapes formed in front of his eyes.

James.

Lily.

They held hands as they looked at him sadly.

“Padfoot… make it right.” James Potter said.

If he could have responded to their presence he would have done.

And then a flash of white light engulfed his vision…

* * *

He woke in his bed, tangled in sheets.

Swinging his feet over the side, Sirius rubbed a hand through his shoulder-length hair.

Wait.

Shoulder-length hair?

“Hold on…” He looked around recognising the room he was in. It was his bedroom. Not his room at Grimmauld Place but at the flat he had bought after Hogwarts and he had lived in until his incarceration in Azkaban. But he couldn’t be here… it was impossible… “Harry?”

The last thing he remembered was fighting his cousin in the Department of Mysteries where she had then proceeded to kill…

“Wait. I’m dead. She killed me. There is no way I can be back here. Is this hell for me?” Sirius stood up, launching himself towards the door, wrenching it open. He stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and his mouth fell open in shock.

Gone was the long mess of hair he had grown in Azkaban, replaced with the shorter, neater style of his youth. His eyes looked old but his face was young, unmarked by his years in prison.

Sirius stumbled back, hitting his back against the wall.

“Think, think, think…”

He hadn’t dreamt the last fifteen years had he?

Sirius dismissed that thought instantly. No, the memories were too vivid to have just been a dream.

Slowly, carefully, he plodded his way over to the table where the day’s edition of the Daily Prophet sat. Ignoring the headlines, Sirius picked up the paper and sought out the date.

**Saturday 24th October 1981**

“What…” He read the date again. Was he hallucinating?

**Saturday 24th October 1981**

He swallowed, dropped the paper and stumbled back until he sank into the settee, his whole body shaking.

And there he saw it: his wand.

The wand that had been snapped when he had been taken into Ministry custody after Pettigrew’s betrayal: the wand that he knew he would never see again…

And it was here. Right in front of him. Just resting… waiting for him to use it…

Slowly, Sirius rubbed a hand down his face.

He blinked. Breathed heavily and cursed loudly. “What the fuck is going on?”

**To be continued...**


	2. October 1981

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been busy trying to finish writing this story which is why there has not been updates here. I have now finished writing this story and I am now going through the story and going over it. More chapters will be posted on a more frequent basis.

**Chapter Two**

Scrunching his eyes closed Sirius took a deep shuddering breath. He was in shock. He didn’t know what was going on or what to _think_. He had died, hadn’t he? He’d been hit in the chest by a curse from Bellatrix Lestrange, fallen back towards the Veil and now… “I’m in 1981…” he said out loud. “How?” Was the Veil not what the Ministry thought it to be? Was it really a portal to the past?

Slowly he reached forward and grasped his wand, looking and inspecting it, having not seen it for years. The wand he had been using since his escape from Hogwarts had been given to him by Albus Dumbledore - after the headmaster had learned of his innocence of course - however now his original wand was just sitting there, waiting for him. He swallowed as the wand reacted to his fingers and he felt warmth spread up his arm. Had the wand recognised that he was different?

He picked up the newspaper again, his eyes running over the date: **24 th October 1981**. He stopped breathing. James and Lily… they’d still be alive. They wouldn’t be dead… They wouldn’t have gone into hiding with the Fidelius Charm yet. Pettigrew had become Secret Keeper on the 26th October meaning they were still safe. James and Lily had been in hiding since Harry had been born but it had been in the last week of their lives that the Fidelius charm had been cast...

“There is still a chance to save them…” Sirius muttered aloud, realisation settling in. “If I’m really here…If this is _real_ and my life now then… I have to know.” Without even thinking what he was doing, Sirius Apparated.

* * *

He arrived in Godric’s Hollow, Apparating to just outside the village before breaking into a run towards the cottage where James and Lily lived, his feet pounding against the ground and his heart pumping hard in his chest. During the years he had been a fugitive he had returned to Godric’s Hollow to mourn his friend’s deaths. He had seen James and Lily’s graves and the monument that had been erected in their honour as well as the destroyed cottage. He stopped running and stood staring up at the cottage.

There wasn’t any damage to the cottage at all, cementing the fact in his brain that he really must be in 1981: his older consciousness having travelled back into his younger body. The cottage was as he remembered before Voldemort’s destruction. As one of the people who had been given access through the security wards that both James and Albus Dumbledore had put up Sirius was able to see the house and enter. The Fidelius charm had only been necessary when Dumbledore had received intelligence that Voldemort had chosen to target Harry and was actively seeking him.

And that was when he saw them through the windows, laughing and joking in the living room. The two people he had missed so much for the past fifteen years…

Standing in front of the window was a messy-haired man wearing glasses, holding a little baby in his hands. A red-haired woman stood next to them, holding a little toy in front of her son’s face.

Sirius’ breath hitched in his throat.

“James… Lily…”  

He leapt over the garden gate, up the path and then bashed the front door wide open, his heart thumping hard in his chest.

James Potter came running out into the hallway, his wand in hand and a curse on his lips but stopped when he saw Sirius’ stricken face. “Padfoot?”

Sirius almost collapsed when he saw James. “You’re alive…. Oh god… you’re alive. Both of you!” He grabbed hold of James, not wanting to let go of him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”

“Erm… mate… have you been drinking?” asked James calmly as he tried to prise Sirius away from him. “You only apologise like this when you’re drunk.”

“What?” Sirius blinked trying to get himself in order. “No…”

“Then why are you blubbing like you haven’t seen us in years?” asked James, holding Sirius by the shoulders and pushing him back.

 _Because for me it is years._ Sirius’ breath stilled in his throat, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall. The future he had come from hadn’t happened yet. James and Lily had not been betrayed. Harry didn’t have a scar on his forehead. Sirius hadn’t spent years in Azkaban yet and the Marauders hadn’t been torn apart by the betrayal of another. He really _had_ come back in time. He’d been given a chance to change it all, prevent that future from ever happening. He licked his lips. He couldn’t tell them who he was, where he had come from but he needed to give a reason as to why he nearly had a breakdown. “I… I…” It was a struggle to speak to the man he had unintentionally led to his death. “I… had a nightmare,” he improvised quickly, “you and Lily died… And it was my fault… I panicked. Thought it was real.”

A smirk pulled at James’ lips. “It wasn’t real. You really need to lay off on those drinks, mate. Lily, Harry and I are safe here. And we’ll be even safer once the Fidelius Charm is cast. No one will be able to find us.”

Lily stepped forward and Sirius fought the urge to pull her into a hug and not let her go. Her long red hair spilled around her shoulders and in her arms Harry was reaching out for him.

“Pafoo!” Harry giggled.

“Harry…” Sirius stared at the small boy. He had got used to seeing Harry as a teenager, now for him to still be a baby was odd. He had yet to go through the horrors he would face. _I won’t let him have that future._ Lily deposited Harry in Sirius’ arms as was custom whenever he had visited their home. The green-eyed baby giggled as he pulled at Sirius’ shirt.

“I swear my son loves you more than me,” noted James with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Sirius couldn’t help but grin. He remembered it had been the standing joke between them. Harry had always preferred Sirius over his own father when he had the choice between them. If Sirius was there for Harry’s bedtime or feeding time, Sirius would be the one chosen to help. “Sorry, Prongs.” The name felt strange on his lips but he forced it down, realising that he couldn’t waste this chance. “I can’t help it if I’m a better father than you.”

James glared but then he shook his head. “Anyway… Did you talk to Wormtail yet?”

“What?” Sirius stammered. Why would he want to say any words to that traitor?

“You did suggest he would be a better Secret Keeper since no one would expect him to be it…” Lily pointed out. “And you act as the decoy.” 

Anger erupted inside Sirius, an overwhelming hatred for the man that had destroyed everything. “No,” he said fiercely. “Don’t trust Pettigrew.” There was such venom in his voice that James stepped back from him and Lily’s mouth gaped open in shock.

“Sirius, are you saying Wormtail is a traitor?” asked Lily.

_Damn it. Shouldn’t have said that._

“No.” _I am._ “I just don’t trust him. He’s always disappearing at odd times,” explained Sirius, trying to remember what Pettigrew had been like in the lead up to Halloween 1981. “We can’t trust anyone. No, I’m not going to ask him to be Secret Keeper.”

“I’d rather it was you anyway,” said James, placing a hand on Sirius’ right shoulder. “You are my brother after all.”

Sirius swallowed. “It can’t be me either…” It hurt him to say this. He knew he would never betray his friends but the risk was always there that if he was caught Voldemort would find some way to break him and the people he loved would still die. If he really had been given a second chance to _make things right_ then he was going to ensure that no one ever found James, Lily or Harry. Ever. “Dumbledore. Ask Dumbledore. He’s offered, hasn’t he?”

Lily bit her lip. “He did.”

“Then take him up on his offer,” urged Sirius. “He’s your best choice. Voldemort is scared of him. And if I am caught I can’t betray you. I wouldn’t betray you even if I was your Secret Keeper but I can’t risk Voldemort finding some way to get the location out of me.”

“But you can’t torture the location out of anyone,” Lily pointed out. “It has to be given willingly…”

“And if I break I would,” said Sirius stonily. “Whether Voldemort knows that about the charm I don’t know… I can’t take the risk…” He looked down at Harry who was snuggling into his chest, his little head pressed on his shoulder, slowly falling asleep in his arms. “James… Lily… Please… use Dumbledore.”

James swallowed after casting his wife a meaningful glance. “Ok. I trust you. If you say to use Dumbledore then we will.”

Sirius breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” He hoisted Harry in his arms and then handed him to James. “Time to go back to daddy, Pronglet!”

Lily chuckled. “Harry’s going to grow up thinking his name is Pronglet if you keep calling him that!”

“Pafoo! No!” cried Harry, upset having been pulled away from the comfy space on Sirius’ shoulder.

“Would fawn be better?” grinned Sirius. It felt good to joke with his friends. Even after he and Remus had reunited, the laugher and the jokes had been gone between them. They were old and serious, having never been able to restore the old friendship they had once shared. Now he had a chance to restore it.

Lily rolled her eyes and swatted Sirius on his left shoulder. “Stop it.”

James hoisted Harry onto the crook of his arm, holding him securely in place with the other hand. “Are you going to tell Dumbledore for us? He would rather we didn’t leave the safety of his wards if we don’t need to.”

Sirius didn’t hesitate to answer. “’Course. I need to see him anyway.” Which was true. The one mistake he had made previously was to never tell Dumbledore who the true Secret Keeper was. It had been Dumbledore’s evidence against Sirius which had sealed his fate in the eyes of the Ministry to not grant him a trial. And Dumbledore thought he was the traitor anyway and Sirius needed Dumbledore on his side if he was going to actively prevent James and Lily’s deaths and Harry’s fate as the Chosen One. He couldn’t take back the prophecy but he _could_ nullify it, ensure that Voldemort would never see either Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom as a threat.

“What do you need to see him for?” asked James.

Sirius almost swore but stopped himself. He and James had always shared everything. But coming back from the dead in a younger body wasn’t something he could share with his best friend. James would be liable to think he had been drinking too much and his brain had been frazzled. “I… err… just need to talk to him.” He couldn’t even think of a good excuse.

“Padfoot… are you okay?” James asked, concern washing over his features. Naturally James Potter would pick up on his lack of openness.

“Yes, I’m fine. Look, Prongs, I can’t say why I need to see him. The less you know the better.” Which was true. James would be safer if he didn’t know where Sirius was from. If anyone found out other than who Sirius was planning to tell the consequences could be severe…

James frowned. “You’ve never been this secretive before…”

Sirius rubbed a weary hand down his face. “I know. Just… trust me, alright?”

“I won’t ever stop trusting you, Padfoot,” James replied strongly.

Sirius breathed out in relief. “Thank you.” He began to turn away. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Be careful,” said Lily.

Sirius smiled gently. “I will.”

“Pafoo bye!” Harry giggled.

Sirius reached out and ruffled the black hair on the boy’s head. “Bye Harry.”

Stepping back out of the cottage, Sirius closed the door behind him, walked to the end of the path and back out into the street. He looked over his shoulder and saw Harry waving at him from the living room window, held in his father’s arms. He returned the wave, took a deep breath and Apparated.

* * *

  
Apparating to Hogsmeade, Sirius slipped into Hogwarts via the secret passageway from Honeydukes cellar. He tried to ignore the thoughts that were running through his brain, trying to concentrate on what he was doing.

_James and Lily are alive._

_I’m in the past._

_I can change this._

_They are alive!_

But it was difficult to ignore. He had tried to be normal with James and Lily yet he knew he had failed to do so. James’ suspicions had been aroused. He wouldn’t be able to keep his secret for long. But right now, no matter how much he had despised Dumbledore for his own instructions to stay within the confines of Grimmauld Place, Sirius knew he had to trust the headmaster this time round. He wouldn’t be able to do this without Albus Dumbledore.

And Dumbledore had the uncanny ability to read people.

He would know Sirius wasn’t right.

Shifting into Padfoot, Sirius used his paws to clamber up the chute that led up to the statue of the One-Eyed Witch. Going back into human form, Sirius gripped the handles on the sides of the wall, fumbling for his wand before muttering, “ _Dissendium_!” which opened the hump of the statue and allowing him to climb out and into the third floor corridor. Thankfully no one was around to witness his appearance and Sirius quickly made his way towards the Headmasters office which was only a short distance from the chute into Hogsmeade. 

Standing in front of the gargoyle that guarded the entrance, Sirius realised he didn’t know the password. _“Damn_.” His only option was to attempt to guess it and hope he picked correctly. If he remembered correctly, during his time as a student the password had always been a type of wizarding sweet. Perhaps it still would be?

“I don’t have the time to go through a list of-” he started to mutter under his breath.

“Sirius Black?”

Sirius whirled and saw to his surprise the Headmaster standing behind him.

“I am surprised to see you here, Black,” said Dumbledore, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Sirius frowned. He remembered in the months leading up to James and Lily’s deaths Dumbledore had started to call him by the name of ‘Black’ as well as have a certain tone to his voice, as if to warn Sirius that he suspected his duplicity. In fact the Headmaster had rarely seen him, choosing to avoid him, cement in his belief that Sirius was the traitor to the Order. He felt anger rush through him but Sirius fought to control it.

“I’m here to see you to prove to you I am not _your_ traitor that you seem to believe I am!” he stated, finding it difficult to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice.

“I think this is a discussion better served to continue within the confines of my office,” explained Dumbledore quietly.

Sirius folded his arms across his chest, stepping away from the gargoyle. “By all means.”

The Headmaster spoke the password – Pixie Puffs – and motioned for Sirius to step onto the slowly revolving staircase as it moved upwards. Dumbledore swiftly followed and Sirius could see the old man was not letting him out of his sight for even a second.

Sirius could understand why the Headmaster had suspected him as the traitor. Dumbledore had explained it to him when he had come to see Sirius before his execution by Dementor’s Kiss was due. It had been Dumbledore who had orchestrated Sirius’ rescue from his fate because of what Sirius had said. The Headmaster had been apologetic that he had ever suspected Sirius, stating that it was the Black family’s tie to the dark side that had swayed his decision. He had assumed Sirius would have joined them in the gathering darkness that had been rapidly falling on their world.

The stairs stopped revolving and Dumbledore flicked his wand to open the door now facing Sirius. Stepping through the door in to the circular office, Sirius stepped up to the desk and sat down in the chair facing the Headmaster’s chair, which Dumbledore stood in front of. Various possessions lay scattered around the office and portraits of previous Headmaster’s hung on the walls and a large collection of books in several bookcases were scattered along the office walls.

Sirius sighed and took out his wand before placing it on the desk in front of his old headmaster. “There. Happy? I’m defenceless.”

“A Black is never defenceless,” noted Dumbledore. “But your courtesy is noted.”

It was an oddly formal exchange.

 _I have to break the ice._  

“Pettigrew is a Death Eater.” Better out then in.

“How do you know that?” asked Dumbledore, trying not to look surprised by the information.

“Pettigrew has the Dark Mark burned into his left arm. I do not have the Mark,” he demonstrated by rolling up his own sleeves and showing the Headmaster both of his bare forearms. “Though I know what you are thinking. One doesn’t have to be a Death Eater to be a purveyor of information. But I wouldn’t be sitting here without a wand or even telling you about Pettigrew if I were a servant of Voldemort, would I?”

The Headmaster’s face seemed to have changed, his expression softening only slightly by Sirius’ words. “Perhaps you wouldn’t,” the old man acquiesced.

Sirius bit his lip. He had to take the risk. “Read my mind. Use Legilimency on me.”

“Why should I? There are ways to fool a Legilimens and prevent them reading one’s mind,” stated Dumbledore. “If I am correct, are not all Pure-blood heirs trained in the art of Occlumency?”

Sirius swallowed. “They are. However I will not hinder you. As a Legilimens yourself you would know when Occlumency is being used to counter your efforts. What I need to show you is better seen than not. We can speak of it after.”

Dumbledore hesitated but finally spoke after what Sirius assumed had been an internal struggle.  “I suppose if I read your mind it would answer why you look young yet your eyes have a haunted look to them, suggesting you have faced horrors I cannot imagine and you are a lot older then you seem to be?”

Dipping his head in response, Sirius acknowledged Dumbledore’s theory. “Perhaps. I have to save James and Lily,” he whispered. Grief suddenly washed over him. “I can’t fail them again. I can’t – I won’t – let Harry be the boy of destiny.” He let his shields drop, recognising as Dumbledore attempted to get through them.

It was the only way. He had to get Dumbledore on his side.

* * *

Upon seeing Sirius Black standing outside his office, Dumbledore had had a sense of foreboding echo over him. Ever since his spies had told him there was a traitor close to the Potters, the Headmaster’s suspicions had fallen upon the Black heir. He, after all, had the most to lose if he did not join the dark side. Dumbledore had convinced himself Sirius Black would have seen sense in reuniting with the family he had parted from as a teenager and was the spy passing information to Voldemort about the Potters.

Yet there was something different about the Sirius Black in front of him right now. His eyes were older, as if he had lived through horrors one could scarcely believe. The eyes were full of guilt and remorse and they had lost the youthful glow that been there only a few months ago when he had last seen Sirius Black.

Now the young man he believed to be a traitor had willingly allowed him into his mind. Sure there were ways to prevent a Legilimens from invading but once inside a mind it was impossible to alter what the Legilimens saw. They would only see the truth. He could feel the edges of Black’s defences, knowing that they had been pulled down to allow him access to memories.

The first memory that came to mind surprised the Headmaster.

It was of a messy-haired teenage boy, the exact image of James Potter, save for the green eyes. Standing beside this boy was a much older Sirius Black, his hair long and down his back. They seemed to be talking in front of a tapestry in a house, discussing the Black family tree.

Then the memory changed to the Sirius Black Dumbledore knew today, asking Peter Pettigrew to be the Secret Keeper for James and Lily. The smaller man agreed and Dumbledore watched as the next memory showed Lily Potter performing the charm before Pettigrew gave the location to Sirius.

More memories swirled by: he saw the remains of James and Lily’s house, their bodies on the floor and a tiny baby with a scar on his forehead in the arms of Hagrid; witnessed Sirius’ attempts to find Pettigrew only to be outsmarted and sent to Azkaban without a trial. He saw the long years Sirius had spent in prison before his escape where he attempted to hunt down Pettigrew, only to encounter a teenaged Harry Potter before needed rescuing himself from Dementors.

Dumbledore paused in rifling through Sirius’ memories. This was _impossible_. Sirius Black – this version of him – seemed to have come back in time. It was the only explanation as to why the man seemed different. Of course he knew now that his suspicions of Black proved to be unfounded and he was wrong to suspect him as a traitor.

The memories washed by him until he saw an older Sirius fall through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries before he abruptly woke up back in his flat in this time. But something had caught his eye as he had seen Sirius fall through the Veil. Upon closer inspection Dumbledore found a blocked memory that Sirius would not remember himself and could not access, however an accomplished Legilimens _could_. As he broke through the barriers protecting this memory Dumbledore found himself floating in darkness, watching as a dead Sirius Black fell between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Then two shapes appeared next to the dead man: James and Lily Potter. Three words echoed around the falling body. _Make it right_. 

And Dumbledore knew why Sirius Black had been sent back in time.

Carefully he rebuilt the barriers protecting this memory. There was a reason it was separated from the rest of the memories Dumbledore had seen and he wondered if the young man was aware of the memories existence. For now he would keep that particular memory quiet unless Sirius brought it up himself. It was likely unimportant, just the catalyst which had enabled Sirius’ older consciousness to transport back in time to his younger body.   

Dumbledore released Sirius’ mind and sat back in his chair, waiting as the younger man recovered from the intrusion into his mind.

Finally, Sirius blinked and opened his eyes. “Have fun in my head?” he cracked, trying to joke.

“You were employing Occlumency against me, weren’t you?” clarified Dumbledore.

Sirius shrugged. “I didn’t want to relieve the memories you were going to see. I used a form of Occlumency to protect myself. I didn’t see what you saw but I assume it is sufficient for you to start trusting me?”

Dumbledore smiled sadly. Oh it was more than enough. It saddened him that one of his former pupils had led such a horrible life. “It is. I am truly sorry for doubting you.”

“I can’t change that you did suspect me but at least…” Sirius swallowed, “I can stop the future I come from occurring.”

“You can. I know why you came to me. You want my help. And I will gladly give it to you,” smiled Dumbledore.

“Just like that?” Sirius raised one eyebrow in surprise.

The Headmaster’s eyes twinkled as he put his hands together. “Yes. But I do have some questions about what I have deduced from you mind. Events you need to fill in for me. Only when I have the full facts can we form a plan and work together to ensure everything is _made right_.”

Sirius grinned. “Where do you want to start?”  

**To be continued...**


	3. The Headmaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius talks to Professor Dumbledore...

Sirius sat back in his chair watching the Headmaster carefully. He was waiting for the inevitable: the first question Albus Dumbledore would ask him. There was only so much Sirius knew. He didn’t know any sure way of defeating Voldemort, only that Harry was tied into his fate, or had been anyway. Since Voldemort’s attack on Harry hadn’t happened yet there was still time to ensure that particular fate didn’t befall his godson. 

Sirius didn’t know much about prophecies but he did know there was a large store of prophecies in the Department of Mysteries: the majority of them never having been fulfilled. Currently Voldemort was setting store by the prophecy rather than waiting to see who would grow up to be more dangerous. Sirius hoped to alleviate the threat entirely though he wasn’t sure what he could do himself to distract Voldemort. Hopefully Dumbledore would work with him on this and the two of them would be able to come up with a plan that would lead to Voldemort’s defeat, even if it didn’t kill him entirely. He wondered if it was possible to trick Voldemort and if so… A crafty idea began to form in his mind.

_I know by changing the Secret Keeper the war will not end on the thirty-first October,_ he thought. _It will continue past that date._ Sirius had already been thinking what the consequences could be for his actions. The war would inevitably continue and more people would die unless they could still find a way to defeat Voldemort. It was not widely known how Voldemort had survived the attack however the old Dumbledore had informed Sirius about Lily’s sacrifice. Rumours abound the Dark Lord had found a way to circumvent death. Those rumours had never been proven, not until Voldemort had returned at the end of the Triwizard Tournament. 

“I saw in your mind Voldemort was defeated for a period of thirteen years before he rose again? Is this correct?” asked Dumbledore. 

“Yes,” replied Sirius. “His defeat is supposed to happen on thirty-first October of this year.” 

“In seven days,” mused the Headmaster. “You’ve already seen James and Lily since coming back haven’t you?” 

“I did.” Sirius bit his lip. “I told them to ask you to be their Secret Keeper. I’m not letting them die again because of my mistakes. I should never have trusted Peter…” 

“And you would not take it upon yourself as James and Lily wish it?” enquired Dumbledore quietly. 

Sirius shook his head. “No. Maybe if I didn’t have all this information in my head I would but I can’t risk getting caught and Voldemort getting into my mind and finding out everything. I worry if I did become Secret Keeper, even without this information, I’d still break… Still end up telling Voldemort where they were… just so the pain would stop. I’m not stupid, Albus. Anyone who is Secret Keeper for James and Lily will be subjected to torture. I’m not scared of it… it’s the fear of breaking and being the cause of their deaths…” 

“Was this the reason why you chose to be decoy originally?” queried the Headmaster. 

Sirius nodded. “And I wanted to fool Voldemort. Make sure he never could set a wand to James, Lily or Harry.” He still felt incredible guilt over failing to notice the suspicious signs Pettigrew had been exhibiting for over a year. Looking back on it, it was obvious. “Suspecting Remus was one of the most stupidest things I have ever done. That and chasing after Pettigrew.” 

“Why did you chase after Peter Pettigrew?” 

Sirius gnawed his bottom lip. “Because you wouldn’t let me have Harry. I’d arranged to check on Pettigrew on Halloween, make sure he was alright, He wasn’t at his hiding place. I got scared. I went to Godric’s Hollow and saw…” he swallowed, emotions overwhelming him. He had to pause while he collected himself. “The house was half destroyed… and their bodies…. Hagrid was there on your orders. He had Harry. I told Hagrid I would look after Harry as I was his godfather but you had told him to take Harry to Lily’s sister. We argued for a bit before I backed down. I loaned Hagrid my motorcycle so he could get Harry to his relatives. If I couldn’t have Harry, I vowed to make sure their betrayer would suffer their end. I know now why you wouldn’t let Harry go to me. You thought I was the Secret Keeper and had betrayed them.” 

“Perhaps keeping the swap between yourselves wasn’t a good idea in hindsight,” suggested Dumbledore. 

“No, it wasn’t. It’s the reason why I came to you tonight. This time round I have to trust you.” Sirius leaned back in his chair as Dumbledore motioned for him to continue. “I tracked Pettigrew down the next day on a street full of Muggles. But he got the better of me. He accused me of betraying James and Lily… Then he blasted the street apart with his wand behind his back before cutting off his own finger and transforming into a rat. I was just so shocked by it all that I just stood there and laughed… like a madman. I was apprehended within minutes and sent to Azkaban with no trial. I was imprisoned without a trial because the evidence was stacked against me… You thought I was Secret Keeper and informed the Ministry of this, therefore cementing my guilt to them. The main crimes I was charged with were the murder of twelve Muggles and Pettigrew as well as working with Voldemort.”

“It was my word that sealed your fate,” said Dumbledore sadly. “I am sorry about that, Sirius.” 

Sirius shrugged. “It happened. It won’t happen this time.” 

“Do you know why Voldemort was defeated that night?” 

“It was Lily. You told me why Harry couldn’t come and live with me after I escaped from Azkaban was because of the protection Lily left him. James was murdered first… I saw his body in the hallway. Lily’s body was in the nursery, in front of Harry’s crib. You told me Lily had been given a choice: to live or die. She chose to die. She died protecting Harry. That choice saved Harry. She left Harry a shield. Voldemort couldn’t touch him. The Killing Curse rebounded on Voldemort. Lily’s sacrifice meant Harry would be safest with blood relations of his mother…”

“I’ve always said love is the most powerful branch of magic. But Voldemort survived the Killing Curse…” 

“I don’t know how he survived. He fled. Harry was left with a lightning shape scar on his forehead,” explained Sirius. 

Dumbledore took in a deep intake of breath. 

Sirius caught his reaction. “What?” 

“It is nothing.” 

Sirius frowned. Naturally Dumbledore would still have this secrets. He knew no matter how much he pushed the Headmaster wouldn’t relent. “Fine.” 

“Harry went to live with Petunia Dursley then?” 

Sirius nodded. “He did. They hated him, Albus. They neglected him. They kept him grudgingly. Spoilt their own kid rotten though. If I’d been allowed to raise Harry… I wouldn’t have gone after Pettigrew.” 

Dumbledore sighed. “You cannot blame yourself for what happened before. This is a new chance for you.” 

“I know,” replied Sirius quietly. “Maybe if we can beat that bastard without involving Harry becoming the Boy-Who-Lived or James and Lily dying then maybe I will let the guilt go. But not before that.” 

“Very well,” accepted Dumbledore. “How did you escape Azkaban and why did you? It wasn’t made too clear in your memories.” 

Sirius stood from this chair. “I think it is better I showed you how.” 

Dumbledore inclined his head, watching from behind his half-moon glasses. “Go on.” 

Sirius transformed into the big black dog, padded around a bit before returning to human form. 

“You’re an Animagus,” stated Dumbledore. 

“Yes. And unregistered and will remain so,” intoned Sirius, daring the Headmaster to disagree with him. 

“Pettigrew is one as well?” asked Dumbledore, clasping his hands together. “I did see him transform briefly in your memory… I think I know where this is going. James is unregistered as well, isn’t he?” The Headmaster’s eyes were twinkling in delight. 

“Yes,” Sirius confirmed. 

“Because of Remus Lupin?” Dumbledore was astute enough to guess the answer. 

There was no point in hiding it. “We wanted to help him during the full moon.” 

“How long?” 

“We’ve been able to transform since middle of fifth year,” answered Sirius. “I know it was dangerous what we did but we were young and carefree… And being an Animagus allowed me to escape Azkaban undetected. The Ministry never caught me. They never knew I was an Animagus so there wasn’t any wards up to prevent me transforming in my cell. The Dementors believed I was losing my mind. As a dog my mind was less human… One day the Minister of Magic came for an inspection. I asked him for his paper as I missed doing the crossword. He gave it to me. And on the front page was Pettigrew.” 

“I thought the Ministry charged you with his murder?” Dumbledore enquired. 

“They did. They didn’t know he was alive,” explained Sirius quietly. “Pettigrew had found a nice Wizarding family to take him in, The Weasley family. They were in the Daily Prophet for winning a competition. It was a photo of all nine of them in Egypt. Pettigrew was sitting on Ron Weasley’s shoulder in his animagus form. He spent twelve years masquerading as a family pet to make sure he never paid for his crimes.” 

“You broke out because of a photo?” asked Dumbledore incredulously. 

“I was the only one who knew Pettigrew was alive. If he found out the dark side was gathering strength again he’d return to them. I also knew he was at Hogwarts with Harry. Ron Weasley was Harry’s best friend. The man who had betrayed James and Lily had been sleeping in Harry’s dormitory for two years. I had to stop Pettigrew from harming him or returning to Voldemort. I slipped through the bars of my cell and swam as a dog to the mainland. My priority was to protect Harry,” said Sirius. “As it always will be.” 

“Why didn’t you break out before then?” 

That was a simple question to answer. “I didn’t know where Pettigrew was. And…” He looked away briefly, almost afraid to admit this truth. “I… thought I deserved Azkaban after what I did to James and Lily.” 

“Sirius…” Dumbledore leaned forward. “You were an innocent man. No innocent deserves to be placed in Azkaban.” 

“I killed James and Lily!” Sirius shouted. “Of course I deserved it!” 

“You were not the one who directed the wand at them and you certainly did not give Voldemort their location. Peter did,” reminded Dumbledore sternly. “But you did get out of Azkaban with your sanity intact.” 

Sirius snorted. “It wasn’t really freedom. I was on the run. The entire Wizarding World thought I was after Harry. To kill him. Hogwarts had Dementors stationed around it in case I got past them, which by the way I did. I lived off rats in the forest whilst waiting for opportunities to get into the school. Pettigrew realised I was on the loose and tried to fake his death again. I did catch up with him eventually though.” 

“Tell me what happened,” said Dumbledore. 

Sirius launched into the explanation of the night he had first met Harry and the truth had been brought out. How Pettigrew had been forced to reveal himself and how Snape had nearly ruined everything and how Harry had chosen to believe Sirius when confronted with the evidence of Pettigrew’s duplicity. “Remus and I were going to kill Pettigrew together… He’d taken too much from us to be given a chance to live, but Harry stopped us. He said Pettigrew deserved Azkaban… and with Pettigrew alive and confessing to his crimes I’d at least be free.” 

“Harry seems to be a rather remarkable young man,” observed Dumbledore. 

“Oh he is,” said Sirius proudly. “James and Lily would be proud of him.” 

“I’m sure they will be when they see him grow up,” said Dumbledore. “Even with any changes you make, it seems Harry Potter will have a great future ahead of him, perhaps greater now he will get to grow up with his parents.” 

Sirius nodded. “He could produce a corporeal Patronus at thirteen.” 

Dumbledore whistled, his eyebrows rising. “That is impressive. Pettigrew escaped your custody before he could be handed over?”

“Yes,” grated Sirius. He was still angry about that. “It was the night of the Full Moon. Remus had forgotten in the excitement of discovering Pettigrew alive and my innocence. As we made our way back to the Castle, he transformed. Pettigrew escaped in the ensuring madness and I transformed to protect Harry and his friends from a werewolf. The werewolf ran off after a while… I’d been injured in the attack and was weak from trying to fight a werewolf off on my own. The Dementors converged upon the lake… There were too many of them at once and I transformed back into my human form… I remember falling unconscious. The next I was waking up in Professor Flitwick’s office, bound to a chair. You came to see me then, asking me why I did what I had done. I think you were curious as to how I could betray my best friends… You believed me when I told you what really happened. Told me you couldn’t save me from the Dementor’s Kiss but you did release me from the chair. Then, just close to midnight, Harry and his friend Hermione arrived on the back of a Hippogriff. They freed me and allowed me to escape. I only found out later how they had managed to do it. Hermione had a time-turner on her – I don’t know why she had it – but you instructed her and Harry to go back in time. The Hippogriff I escaped from had been sentenced to death as well and Harry had prevented it from happening by helping it to escape, mere minutes before it was due to be executed. Harry was also the one to cast a Patronus powerful enough to scatter over a hundred Dementors from taking my soul at the lake. Harry saved himself there too. Then they came to the office and I escaped on the back of a Hippogriff.”

“That is quite a tale. I am glad you escaped. What happened afterwards?” 

“I fled the country but kept in contact with Harry,” explained Sirius. “But then the Triwizard Tournament happened. The Ministry brought it back and it was held at Hogwarts. Despite an age-line being made, Harry’s name was still entered. And he still became a champion. He was forced to compete despite not being ready for it.” 

“Oh…” Dumbledore looked sad. “How much has that poor boy gone through?”

“A lot. He’s had to grow up too fast,” stated Sirius evenly. “Something which I will not allow this time. He deserves a proper childhood and Harry is going to get it. During the last task, Harry reached the cup with another champion. The cup had been made a Portkey. It took Harry straight to Voldemort and Pettigrew. Voldemort rose again by using Harry’s blood. He had found a way through Lily’s protection so he could touch him. They fought but their wands connected and they couldn’t duel one another properly. When the wands connected, Harry’s wand overpowered Voldemort and it started to show what spells had performed last…” 

“Priori Incantatem…” muttered Dumbledore. 

Sirius nodded. “The reverse spell effect. Harry saw echoes of James and Lily… They distracted Voldemort to give him time to escape. The other champion had been murdered minutes after arriving at the graveyard. Voldemort had a body again.” 

Dumbledore frowned. “What year was this?” 

“June nineteen ninety-five.” 

“And the year you came from?” 

“June nineteen nighty-six,” confirmed Sirius. 

“What happened after Voldemort had regained his body?” 

“You reformed the Order of the Phoenix,” explained Sirius. “I helped gather people to the cause and you operated underneath the Ministry’s nose. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, refused to believe Voldemort had returned. He embarked on a campaign to discredit you and Harry. The Wizarding World when I left it is unprepared for his return. I wasn’t much use to the Order. I was a fugitive and without Pettigrew and you being discredited by the Ministry, I had to go into hiding. I offered my childhood home to you. Despite everything I still inherited the Black family fortune and the house. We used it as headquarters. You put a Fidelius Charm upon it and acted as Secret Keeper, thereby keeping me safe from the Ministry. Voldemort was after the prophecy – the full contents of it. Order members were sent to guard it to prevent him from gaining access to it. Harry and Voldemort shared a connection…” Sirius bit his lip. 

“This is when you died isn’t it?” asked Dumbledore quietly. 

Sirius bowed his head. “I was stupid. I should have stayed behind… Voldemort knew I was the most important thing in Harry’s life… He sent Harry a vision of me being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. Harry had been having Occlumency lessons but he never got the hang of it. Harry and his friends went to the Ministry to rescue me…” 

“It was a trap…” observed Dumbledore guessing where the story was going. 

Sirius stood from his chair and began pacing, feeling agitated. “The Order learned what Harry had done… We went after him. Snape told me to stay behind. I didn’t listen. We made it to the Department of Mysteries where Harry was fighting off Death Eaters. I fought dear cousin, Bella,” he laughed humourlessly. “And she killed me.”

“And then you woke up in your flat?” 

“Yes,” he confirmed. 

“You do not remember anything else?” pressed the Headmaster. 

Sirius shook his head. “As far as I am concerned I fell through the Veil and woke up immediately in this time.” 

“Excellent.” Dumbledore pressed his palms together. 

Sirius eyed him curiously. “Did you see something in my memories I do not know about?” 

Dumbledore looked at him serenely. “No, I didn’t.” 

Watching the old Headmaster, Sirius carefully made his expression neutral. He didn’t know why but he had the uncanny feeling the Headmaster was hiding something from him. Ignore it. You need him on your side. “What now?” 

“We need to discuss what we should do in regards to Peter Pettigrew. Since he is a Death Eater we could easily bring him in,” Dumbledore suggested, “or we could allow him to continue to spy for Voldemort which would enable us to trap them both.” 

“Trap Voldemort?” Sirius asked incredulously. “Plenty of people have tried. It’s never worked before.” 

“No, it hasn’t, however I think you have an idea that merits attention. Discussion at least,” said Dumbledore. 

Sirius frowned. “I don’t think it will work.” Clearly the Headmaster had found the vague ides whilst scourging around in his memories. 

“Let’s see shall we?” 

Sirius sighed and finally sat down again. “It’s a stupid idea. I hate the thought of Voldemort not being defeated. Stopping Harry becoming the Boy-Who-Lived opens up the Wizarding World to a lot more deaths. How many more people will die who should have lived? But… He is after Harry. He won’t stop. Unless he either hears the rest of the Prophecy – knowing attacking Harry could put him off and wait until he is older. However I know in my old timeline we were fighting against him having that knowledge.” 

“Do you know the true contents of the Prophecy, Sirius?” enquired Dumbledore politely. 

“I do. James and Lily told me.” 

“I believe it is unwise for Voldemort to learn the full contents. It could be if he is unable to get to Harry he will give up and wait for him to grow up, however it is not guaranteed. It is not a risk I am willing to take. I am interested in ending Voldemort’s reign of terror as quickly as possible however, even if it is only temporary. It would give us time to find a way to end him for good. Now, what is your idea?” pressed Dumbledore. 

Sirius laughed. “You don’t give up do you?” He had expected this. He had a vague idea of how to stop Voldemort. 

“I am nothing but persistent, especially when it comes to Voldemort,” the old man smiled. 

Sirius leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Fine. Voldemort wants the Potters. He’s going to get them. Or so he thinks. We cast the charm with Pettigrew who will run to Voldemort within days of it being cast. The charm is cast on the house, not the people. Anyone who is inside the house will be protected.” 

Dumbledore was nodding. “This could work.” 

“Maybe. But you haven’t heard the rest yet,” Sirius pointed out. “Voldemort believes James, Lily and Harry are at the house. They won’t be. They’ll be at another hidden location, protected by you. I’ll be in their house, protected by the Fidelius Charm Pettigrew betrays to Voldemort. All I need to do is throw a Killing Curse at Voldemort and it should, by theory, destroy him. I would suggest you however as soon as he sees you there he will flee. Oh, and I intend to polyjuice myself as James that way he believes he is in the house where the Potters are.” Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. 

“It is a sound idea however for the plan to work James and Lily must consent to perform a Fidelius Charm with Pettigrew.”

Sirius scratched the back of his head. “Yeah. I already told them not to trust him.” 

“Which is a problem if we decide to go forward on this plan,” said Dumbledore. “However, I am not concerned about that. I am more concerned in Voldemort killing you before you can kill him. He is fast. As soon as he sees he is not in the house where the Potters are, he will kill you. He won’t give you a chance to fight back.”   
Sirius bit his lip. “I know. There are spells we could set up that would immobilise him. That would be my only chance.” 

“He would suspect a trap as soon as he saw you,” explained Dumbledore. 

“We can set traps up undetected and to activate by a certain keyword,” suggested Sirius. 

“It’s possible but risky. Killing someone isn’t easy, Sirius.” 

Sirius blew air out carefully. “I know. I have killed before. Remember? When Lily and James defied Voldemort for the third time? I was there.” 

“That was in the heat of battle, Sirius. You were defending yourself. You, unlike Death Eaters or Voldemort, do not intend to kill. However if you go through with this plan of yours you will be willingly murdering another person, even if it is Voldemort,” explained Dumbledore. He leaned forward, stroking his beard as he did so. “Is your soul worth the risk?” 

Sitting in Dumbledore’s office, Sirius remembered a similar conversation, back when he had still been a student. When he had played a trick on Severus Snape which had nearly resulted in him being mauled by a werewolf. He hadn’t meant to nearly kill him, just meant to scare him, yet his conversation with Dumbledore after that incident was eerily similar to the one he was having now. It had been talk about souls – his specifically – and how he would injure it if he killed with intention. 

He had considered the effects if he was lucky enough to trick Voldemort. He knew what his answer would be so he didn’t need time to think about it. “My soul doesn’t matter when it comes to Harry. If it prevents Harry being involved with the prophecy then so be it.” 

The old man sighed in defeat. “It is a plan worth considering however I do not wish for you to harm yourself. There is another angle you have not thought of. A disadvantage Voldemort could use to his own advantage. Instead of trying to kill you upon discovery in the Potters home, he could very well torture information out of you. You said yourself earlier you wouldn’t want to risk getting caught. All the valuable information in your head would be a treasure trove for Voldemort. What’s changed?” 

It was true. Not that long ago Sirius had explained his reasons for not being Secret Keeper this time round. 

“The difference would be I wouldn’t look like myself. I said I’d use Polyjuice to disguise myself as James.” 

“Then he would kill you outright, believing Lily and Harry are somewhere in the house. You would die for nothing. You wouldn’t be alive to look out for your best friends,” reasoned Dumbledore. “It’s a good plan and one that could possibly work if all the problems are ironed out of it. You have to decide whether your life – and the information you hold about the future – is worth the risk of trying to trap and kill Voldemort.” Dumbledore stood up from his chair and moved around the desk, placing a hand on Sirius’ shoulder. “You need to think about what you want to do. What is more important to you? Your life? James and Lily’s lives? Harry’s life? The information you have?” 

Sirius swallowed. “I know.” He did have a lot to consider. 

“However I will gladly become James and Lily’s Secret Keeper in the meanwhile,” said Dumbledore, looking over his half-moon glasses. “If you do not mind me saying, I think you should inform James at least the truth of where you come from and what happened to you. You are very different to the young man I once knew. James will notice. The last thing you would want is to hurt James by trying to hide the truth from him.” 

Sirius sagged in his chair. “I know. I just want to save them all.” 

Dumbledore smiled sadly. “You will, Sirius, you will.” 

**To be continued...**


	4. The Secret Keeper

**Chapter Four**

There were many choices Sirius Black could make. Dumbledore had made it very clear. The question that pounded inside his head told him he did have to think carefully in what he chose to do, what he chose to prioritise. There was not a simple answer to it. 

_What to do next?_

That was the choice, the question that he had to provide an answer for. 

One thing he was sure about preventing was Harry never getting involved with Voldemort in any way. The same for Neville Longbottom. James had told him Harry wasn’t the only child the Prophecy had referred to. It could have meant Harry’s classmate but Voldemort had chosen Harry. Had actively sought out the Potters over the Longbottom’s yet if he was unable to reach Harry due to the change Sirius had made to the Secret Keeper would he defer to Neville? Would Neville’s mother sacrifice her life for her son? Harry had only lived because Lily had chosen to die over living. There was no guarantee Alice Longbottom would be given the same choice. If Voldemort targeted the Longbottoms and succeeded in killing them without being defeated he would still turn his attention back to Harry. He would want to ensure all potential threats were eliminated. 

Voldemort had to be stopped before he could ruin those two families’ lives. There were multiple targets he had to think of. His cousin, the Malfoy’s, the Dark Lord, Pettigrew… But how could he solve them all? At the moment Voldemort and Pettigrew were the most dangerous. 

Dumbledore had told him not to do this on his own, had told him to trust James and Lily but how could he when he had killed them? If they knew what he had done, asked them to do, they would hate him. They wouldn’t be able to look at him in the face. No, talking to James and Lily about where he came from was out of the equation. They would never know – it was for their own and his safety. 

His crazy plan to trap Voldemort was worth refining and considering especially if it worked but he couldn’t delay putting James and Lily under the Fidelius Charm. They had to go deeper into hiding. The problem was, was that information was likely to get back to Voldemort and then he would hunt for Sirius because Pettigrew wouldn’t be the Secret Keeper… Unless Sirius went into hiding whilst he figured out what he could do. But again, like telling James and Lily the truth, it wasn’t an option he could take but if he absolutely had to, he would. He’d been given a second chance and he wasn’t going to waste it by going into hiding. 

He did, however, want to take out Pettigrew. He was not going to let that rat continue to deceive the whole Order. The problem was Pettigrew would know. Sirius had to be careful not to slip up he knew Pettigrew’s true allegiances. 

“He might be useful in leading Voldemort to me when I trap him though…” mused Sirius quietly; hand on his chin, as he sat back on his chair in his living room. If Sirius was to trap Voldemort they could use Pettigrew then as they’d be able to expose him for the traitor he was… 

For now he would leave Pettigrew, no matter how much he wanted to go out and kill the traitor. For appearances sake and for any plans he may concoct to work, Pettigrew had a part to play. And putting the rat in jail was not going to help Sirius. 

There were so many more things that could go wrong. So many more people could die who had lived if Sirius messed up. Every choice he made would have to be planned meticulously. He couldn’t take risks – well risks he hadn’t planned for anyway. 

He leaned forward, running a hand down his face. “For now ensuring James, Lily and Harry’s safety is my priority. That is my choice.” 

Finding a way to defeat Voldemort would have to come later.

\- - - - -

A few hours later Sirius found himself back at Godric’s Hollow, sitting with Lily and James in their living room whilst Harry slept in his crib upstairs. 

“Have you asked Dumbledore?” queried Sirius. 

Lily nodded, swallowing visibly. “Yes. He has consented to be our Secret Keeper.” 

Sirius breathed out in relief. “When will he perform it?” 

“Tomorrow,” answered James. “The quicker the better. It is common knowledge the Potter family has connections in Godric’s Hollow. I’m surprised Voldemort hasn’t come knocking yet.” 

Sirius shuddered. “Godric’s Hollow does have protections of its own. The last thing Voldemort would want is to be forced to kill a lot of Wizarding families by guessing where you lived. Each wizarding family here has magical protections around it. If he attacks the wrong one, the Ministry and the Order can arrive in time. He’ll want to know your actual address before coming to the village so he can make a clean escape.” He had always wondered why Voldemort had taken over a year after Harry was born to actively hunt him down. And when he had decided to go after Harry it would have been relatively simple for Voldemort to find them, if they hadn’t been warned in advance. He didn’t want James and Lily living unprotected for any longer. 

James nodded. “That is true. I don’t like going into hiding but I can’t let him get my son.” 

“He won’t,” promised Sirius. That he was sure of. Voldemort would only get to Harry over his dead body. 

“Is Professor Dumbledore going to tell anyone where we are?” asked Lily carefully. “Just in case something happens to him…”

“Yes. He will give me the Secret.” 

“Moony and Wormtail?” probed James, watching Sirius carefully. 

Sirius swallowed. He had to be careful here. James would find it difficult to believe any of his friends would ever betray him. “No, the less they know the better it is for them. The less likely they will become targets themselves.” 

“I don’t think either of them would betray us,” stated James proudly. “We made a promise to never break.” 

Sirius remembered. It had been in fifth year when they had first achieved the animagus transformation, promising one another they would always be there for each other and would die before they could betray anyone. “School boy promises are worth nothing in the real world, Prongs,” admitted Sirius, swallowing as he realised to Peter that promise had meant nothing to him. For Sirius, James and Remus it had meant everything. 

James rose to his feet, slight anger crossing his face. “Moony and Wormtail would never betray me!” 

Sirius bowed his head. For the sake of appearance he had to agree. “I know.” 

Lily cocked her head to the side, a curious expression on her face. “When we saw you this morning you said we couldn’t trust Wormy…” 

Sirius grimaced. He alone knew the whole truth. He had lived a life of betrayal. He had seen his whole world ripped apart by the actions of another, yet to James and Lily it was inconceivable any of their friends would ever do anything that would harm them. They trusted Pettigrew with their lives on Sirius’ suggestion and he had killed them for it. No, they could not understand. “Everyone is a suspect, even me.”

“But you would nev-” James protested but Sirius held up a hand to silence him. 

“No, James. No one is safe. Dumbledore wants one other person to know where you are unless something happens to him. He’s chosen me,” explained Sirius, though he wasn’t exactly stating the full truth. Dumbledore was only telling him the Secret because Sirius was insisting he knew. “But until we can catch the traitor who is passing your movements to Voldemort we can’t be sure of anyone’s loyalty. Moony spends half his time with the werewolves these days and Pett-Wormtail is spending more time away from us and disappearing at odd times.” Then a thought struck him. “Don’t you wonder why he never takes his jumper off even when he’s hot and sweating?” 

“That doesn’t mean…” Lily trailed off, looking doubtful. 

“See. I don’t want to believe anyone could betray us but in the current climate who knows who Voldemort has reached and turned to his side?” said Sirius quietly. It was a valid point and Sirius knew the reason Dumbledore had suspected him originally was because of all the family members he had on the other side. He thought power would corrupt Sirius and he’d walk over to the path he had fought against for so long. 

James ran a hand through his thick, messy hair and leaned back. “I hate this war. I hate what it is doing to us. I just want it to end.” 

“So do I Prongs, but until we can kill Voldemort, the war won’t end,” Sirius pointed out wearily.

“He’s too fast,” said Lily. “James and I have duelled him before. Hardly any of our curses struck him.” 

James nodded vigorously. “Lily’s right. We were lucky to escape him the three times we’ve duelled him. You would have to be incredibly lucky to defeat him.” 

_Like Harry was,_ thought Sirius, _and that was only because of his complete and utter lack of understanding of love._ “I know. But he isn’t infallible. Everyone has their weaknesses. Voldemort does too. It is just a matter of finding them and exploiting them to our advantage.”

“I doubt Voldemort would ever let anyone get close enough to him for weaknesses to be discovered,” said Lily quietly. “He may have his favourites but I doubt he trusts anyone completely.” 

Sirius nodded. “True. But I think if we plan our moves carefully we stand a high chance of defeating him. It’s just a matter of waiting for the opportune moment to arrive.” 

\- - - - -

**Sunday 25th October 1981**

“It is done.” 

Sirius looked up from the settee as Albus Dumbledore tumbled gracefully out of his fireplace and into his flat. “The charm has been performed?” He needed clarification. 

The old man inclined his head. “It has. I now hold the Secret to the whereabouts of James and Lily Potter. They are located at Potter Cottage, Godric’s Lane, Godric’s Hollow.” 

Sirius swallowed. He now knew the location of the Potters and could access their home if he needed to do so. He didn’t intend to visit them that often. It would be safer for them if visiting was kept to as little as possible. “Thanks,” he murmured in appreciation. 

Dumbledore moved to sit down upon the chair facing Sirius. “Have you considered what your next step will be?” 

Sirius nodded, putting down the _Daily Prophet_ he had been reading, and sitting up straighter. “Yes. James and Lily are safe, for now. I do want to focus on stopping Voldemort for good but I know rushing into it isn’t going to help. We need to plan this properly. Is it…” he hesitated, unsure whether to ask the question or not, “…worth it? Can we truly trap him?” 

“I believe it is possible,” answered Dumbledore, “as long as the trap is laid long in advance. Power would be on our side if we are the puppeteers. And what about Peter Pettigrew?” 

“Leave him for now,” suggested Sirius, “I think he could play a crucial part in our plan.” 

“Very well,” Dumbledore smiled. “I am used to taking the lead not deferring to others.” 

Sirius snorted. “I’m honestly surprised you are letting me. I thought you’d fight harder against what I wanted to do but you seem to be encouraging me.” 

“I have my reasons. I do not wish for Lily and James to die,” answered the Headmaster. “All we can do, Sirius, is hope we can end the war soon. Whilst I am their Secret Keeper, they will not be betrayed and the war will not end on Halloween night. We have a solution to trapping Voldemort if we can however it does need refinement and there is only so long we can use before we must put it into place or risk the Longbottom’s as well. In your world, Harry is the child of prophecy and whilst it is unlikely Voldemort will target Neville Longbottom, the possibility remains if he is unable to reach Harry. Therefore we must act as soon as we can.”

Sirius sighed. “But can we be ready? Trapping Voldemort isn’t going to be easy.”

Dumbledore’s blue eyes twinkled. “Not if we plan it right.” 

\- - - - -

**Thursday 29th October 1981**

He was on his knees, bowing to his Lord, his form trembling with every breath he took. 

“Tell me… Pettigrew… Who is the Secret Keeper for the Potters?” the cold voice demanded. 

Peter knew he had no choice. He had chosen to join the Dark Lord, believing he could save his friends and his own life in the process but he had never dared to dream it would mean betraying his friends when his Master began hunting them. If his friends learned what he was, what he had done they would abandon him. 

_I joined because I was promised they wouldn’t be harmed. But they lied to me._

He was stuck as a Death Eater because he was too afraid to back out and die. The consequences of his choices meant he could end up being the reason his friends were killed. He didn’t want to betray them yet he didn’t want to die either. In the end he knew if he was asked to betray his friends, the coward in him would always choose his friends death’s over his own. 

Peter sighed. 

“You know what the consequences are if you do not deign to give me an answer,” the cold voice added after a few minutes silence. 

Swallowing, Peter kept his head down and let the words tumble from his lips. “Sirius Black is their Secret Keeper.” 

After all he had been told by James they intended to ask Sirius. Why would he refuse them? 

_They’ll kill me if they ever find out I gave Sirius away._

\- - - - -

On October thirty-first nineteen eighty-one, James and Lily Potter lived.

\- - - - -

**Wednesday 4th November 1981**

He was getting impatient. Days had passed since the coward had told him who the Secret Keeper was. 

Yet Black remained well hidden. No one had seen hide nor hair of him for a week. At least Black’s disappearance proved Pettigrew was not lying to him. If Black did not hold the Secret to the Potters location then he would not have gone underground. 

If his usual sources could not provide him with Black’s location then perhaps his most loyal servants would do better. 

_Yes… they will not fail me…_

\- - - - -

**Friday 6th November 1981**

He’d been in hiding for nearly two weeks now and James and Lily and Harry were still safe in Godric’s Hollow and Halloween had passed by without any incident. Yet Sirius was stuck. A spy had informed Dumbledore that Voldemort was seeking him believing him to be the Secret Keeper for the Potters. Though Sirius had suspected this he had hoped suspicion wouldn’t fall on him quite as soon as it had. Against his better wishes but following Dumbledore’s advice, Sirius had decided to go into hiding though only until he was ready to implement his plan. It did give him time to work on his plan, something of which he would not have had if he’d remained in the open. 

Sirius doubted he’d be able to leave his new home. Though he was not under a Fidelius Charm, Dumbledore had set up powerful wards around the Muggle flat he was now living in. Staying in his old place would have been foolish since it would make locating him much easier. He could have gone to Hogwarts but Sirius hadn’t wished to put the students in danger by residing there. 

The last thing Sirius needed was to be found by Death Eaters. Not right now and especially not with the knowledge he had in his head. It was a hitch in their plans that Sirius had expected at some point but not to occur this soon, though he really should have expected it with James and Lily safe under the Fidelius. 

He hated this chair he was sitting in. It was so… uncomfortable. He stretched his legs out and ruffled out the pieces of parchment next to him. Since being stuck in confinement, Sirius had been researching spells, using books Dumbledore had loaned him, and trying to figure out a decent plan with which they could trap Voldemort. 

Sirius hoped if he was able to stay hidden until he was ready to lay his trap then perhaps he’d be able to lure Voldemort out. It would only be a matter of time before the Dark Lord decided to hunt him down himself without resorting to using his followers. 

The helpful aspect of hiding was that he had hours upon hours to think up every positive and negative point and everything that could go wrong with his crazy plan (turns out there was plenty). Half the time he was tempted to torch the parchment and forget about but what kept him going was Harry. 

He would be able to stop his godson from having a destiny he should never have had. 

Sirius ran his eyes over the different spells he had picked out of the books. Most were forgotten spells, many which hadn’t been used in years but highly likely to prevent Voldemort from escaping. The problem was ensuring Voldemort did not have his wand on him which was the only part of the plan Sirius was having trouble on. How could he disarm one of the most skilled duellists in the world? 

As he turned the page of _Olde Magic and Curses_ , his senses tingled and he stiffened. 

Something was wrong, very wrong. 

Magic crackled the air. 

Sirius reached for his wand-

The door burst open with a cascading crash. 

**To be continued...**


	5. Lucky Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made...

**Chapter Five**

His fingers had only just grasped his wand when the door flew open. Sirius’ reflexes screamed at him to _move_. Scrambling away and getting himself into an awkward roll, he came up behind the chair, wand held tightly in his right hand and his eyes narrowing in on the five Death Eaters that crowded through his door. 

Before they could even zero their wands in on him, Sirius pointed his wand at the lead Death Eater and sent the _reducto curse_ non-verbally towards his masked intruders. The spell hit the chest of the leading attacker and it sent him flying back. The momentum sent two others behind him back out of the door as well, hitting the wall in the hallway.   
With a quick wave of his wand, Sirius hastily reconstructed his wards so they couldn’t get back in easily though he knew they would break them down quickly with the right spells. He didn’t have the time to intricately design them. He just needed to stop them, giving himself time to escape. His spell work was shoddy, having only been in this situation once recently and that had been when he had died and been sent back. 

He had to be careful to avoid the same fate. He doubted he would be given the same chance again. 

Sirius swivelled, avoiding a stunning spell, pointing his wand at the Death Eater to the right and sent his own stunner at them. He dived as the spell bounded back at them having impacted against a shield his opponent had erected just in time. He snarled, leapt back and then ducked as the chair he had been hiding behind blasted back towards him. It flew over his head and impacted against the living room wall. He was lucky he had dived low enough for it to swing over his head. 

He rolled away as another curse came towards him. 

He could try to Apparate out… All his wards had been broken down which meant he just might – 

“Anti-Apparation wards, Black! You can’t escape us!”

Sirius glared. He had tried but his magic wouldn’t respond, informing him the Death Eaters had thought ahead and erected wards to stop people from leaving. There were two options left to him at this point: fight them and bring their wards down or try to jump out of the window and Apparate in mid-air before he hit the ground. The second option was the one Sirius didn’t really want to try but the first option was rapidly becoming impossible as the ward he had erected over his front door fell and the other three Death Eaters surged back into his flat. 

He did have an idea… but it would put others at risk, especially the Muggles in the flats around, above and below him… 

_I have to take the risk. Otherwise…_

The disarming spell flew past his ear, inches from hitting him. Sirius swallowed, waving his wand back and zeroing in on two of the Death Eaters who seemed to be backing each other up. Sirius glared then snarled a curse, the yellow jet of light hitting both. They slumped. He’d used a curse that would keep them blind for at least ten minutes unless one of their colleagues could perform the counter curse…

Then he swivelled his wand arm and pointed at the fire alarm on his wall, setting it off, which in turn set off the whole building’s alarm. It was a linked system. Sirius knew he had a few minutes before he could attempt option B. He had to give the Muggles living here time to get out. He hated having to intentionally destroy a Muggle building, thereby ruining the homes of the people around him but he had no other choice. 

It was either do this or be captured and Sirius was not going to let that happen. 

“The alarm isn’t going to save you!” crowed one of the Death Eaters whom Sirius recognised to be Rabastan Lestrange, the brother-in-law to his crazy cousin. 

Due to Voldemort not being defeated by little Harry Potter on Halloween, the attacks on the Longbottom family had not yet occurred. They remained safe. So far his efforts had wrought changes to the timeline ensuring two families remained whole instead of fractured. 

“It doesn’t need to save me!” he bellowed back. 

“What do you hope to achieve?” drawled a very familiar voice. “We have you cornered!” 

“You may be right about that Malfoy!” Sirius shouted back. “But I’m a Black! You should expect the unexpected!” 

“You are not a Black!” shouted Avery. “You are just a blood-traitor!” 

A grim smile crossed Sirius’ face. “Maybe to you but not to others.” He had decided. He couldn’t hesitate or wait any longer. Pointing his wand at the wooden table to the right of where Malfoy stood, Sirius shouted: _“Incendio!”_

The table blew into flames. Malfoy leapt to the side as the orange flames licked his robes, cursing as the flames quickly spread directing the attention of the Death Eaters. 

Twisting on the balls of his feet, Sirius ran towards his bedroom door, fleeing through it, hearing the shouts of Malfoy to forget the fire and to get Black, before blasting the glass in the window before launching himself out of it. 

He turned in mid-air as he fell, thinking of a random destination as he felt himself slide seamlessly into Apparition. The last thing his eyes saw as he fled was Lucius Malfoy peering down at him from his bedroom window. 

And then Sirius was gone. 

\- - - - -

He landed on his side awkwardly in the middle of a forest. Shifting into Padfoot, he ran for about a mile before turning back to human form and Apparating away again, this time to a graveyard in Wales before shifting again and heading out of the small Muggle village before finally Apparating to Hogsmeade where he slipped into the grounds with ease via the Haunted House. 

He met the Headmaster halfway across the grounds. 

“How did you know I was-?” began Sirius but the Headmaster cut him off. 

“Tracking spell,” replied Dumbledore. “Forgive me but I placed you under one to ensure your safety and if anything was to happen to you I’d be able to reach you.” 

“You could have told me you’d done that,” noted Sirius. “I don’t like being kept in the dark.” 

“We all have our secrets, Sirius,” said Dumbledore wisely. “And if you were captured we would have a better chance of retrieving you.” He stopped beside Sirius. “You need a new hiding place.” 

Sirius scowled. “They really think I’m the Secret Keeper?” 

Dumbledore ushered him back. “They do. It appears the traitor mistakenly believes you to be and passed that information to Voldemort.” 

“Wormtail…” Sirius grated. “He did know who James wanted to ask to be Secret Keeper… This isn’t how I wanted things to go.” 

“You have saved them, Sirius,” Dumbledore pointed out. “They cannot be found.” 

“I know but I want them to enjoy their lives rather than live in fear,” sighed Sirius. “If only we could –” His eyes widened. “The notes! I’ve been making notes about our plans! They’re back at the flat! If they go through my stuff they’ll find them…” 

A cold wind brushed past them. Sirius shivered. He’d made a huge error. 

“Sirius… Nothing is lost.” 

“But…” 

Dumbledore laid a hand on Sirius’ shoulder. “Go to my office. I will meet you there.” 

Sirius looked at him curiously. “You’re going to get them?” 

“Yes,” he replied. “Even if the papers are gone we can still improvise.” 

Sirius bit his lip. He wasn’t sure. He had made extensive notes on his plan to trap Voldemort. One of his notes had mentioned purposefully giving Pettigrew his location to betray him. If they had seen the notes… He rubbed a weary hand down his face. 

“Go. I won’t be too long.” 

There wasn’t anything he could do but to follow the Headmaster’s instructions. He hoped he hadn’t screwed up that badly. 

\- - - - -

A silver phoenix patronus flew into the cottage at Godric’s Hollow. James looked up as the silver bird settled on the back of the chair. Dumbledore’s voice erupted from the beak.   
“Sirius was attacked by Death Eaters. He is safely at Hogwarts.” The bird vanished. 

“James?” Lily called from the other room where she was playing with Harry. “What was that?” 

“It was Dumbledore’s patronus. He was just telling me Sirius was attacked but he’s fine,” he replied, picking up the sandwich he had been making and walking into the living room.   
“I think my heart nearly came out of my chest when he said Sirius’ name.” 

Lily brushed red hair behind her ear as Harry reached to grab hold of the strands. He seemed to like tugging on her hair whenever he could reach it. “He will be fine, James.”   
James bit his lip, worrying fluttering across his face. “Yeah but him getting attacked means they think he is Secret Keeper. Maybe if it was known he wasn’t Secret Keeper then he wouldn’t be hunted.” 

Lily frowned. “I think he still would be. Voldemort might hope capturing Sirius would lure us out. Everyone knows how close you two are. I know you wouldn’t go and rescue him because of us but they don’t know that. For as long as Voldemort wants to kill Harry, will be as long as Sirius is in danger for.” She sighed and picked up Harry’s stuffed Padfoot toy. 

“Pafoo!” the little boy cried happily. “Woof! Woof!” 

James smiled at his son. “I don’t know what Padfoot has done to get his admiration so much.” 

Lily chuckled. “I think he just has a way with kids… And he can become a dog. Harry loves that.” 

“But I can be a stag!” retorted James. 

“Stags aren’t child friendly,” replied Lily teasingly. “Besides each time you’ve transformed, Harry has always wanted Padfoot. Face it, James, your son loves his godfather more!” 

James frowned. “I think when this is over I’m going to have to restrict Padfoot’s access to our son. I don’t want him usurping me as Harry’s favourite adult.” 

“You won’t ever be his favourite adult,” teased Lily, her green eyes sparkling.

“Hey!”

“A mother always has a special place in a child’s heart,” she poked her tongue out. 

“Fine,” huffed James, “I’ll be his favourite adult male then!” 

Lily laughed. “I think Sirius has already taken that spot.” 

“Take his side then,” replied James, leaning back into the chair. 

“You know I’m always on Sirius’ side,” she continued. 

“I’m your husband!” 

“That doesn’t mean I have to always agree with you,” she added pointedly. 

James rolled his eyes. “Great. My own wife turns against me in favour of my best friend. First my son then my wife, who’s next? Moony?”

\- - - - -

Dumbledore arrived in his office thirty minutes after Sirius had made his way there. In his hands were a stack of papers. “They were still there. I do not believe they went through your belongings.” 

Sirius reached for the papers, eyeing them carefully. “Or they put them back where they found them just in case I came back for them.” 

“I think they would have taken them with them if they had seen what they truly were,” noted Dumbledore as he sat behind his desk. 

He looked through the papers making sure every piece he had written was still there. He was relieved to find nothing missing. “All there but we can’t rule them out copying them. Where did you find them?” 

“Half the flat was burnt to a crisp. You set fire to a Muggle building?” answered Dumbledore, ignoring Sirius’ question.

“I had no choice,” replied Sirius. “I’m just glad my charms worked to protect these. Imperturbable charm. Where were they?” 

“Scattered all over the floor. I assume in the struggle they all scattered?” 

“They did.” 

“I think once you set the fire going they quickly left and have not yet returned. The Muggle fire service was still there when I arrived. Naturally I used a disillusion charm to get past them and to enter your flat. I did have to use a bit of magic to encourage the Muggles to leave so I could get into your ruined flat,” explained Dumbledore. “I’m sure the Ministry will be getting involved since magic was detected in the area however there investigation will not reveal who was in the area at the time.” 

Sirius leaned back in his chair. “What is our plan now? Wherever I hide I’m sure they will find me.” 

“I know. It is that which worries me. The only alternative I can think of is you remain here for the duration, however if you do not go into hiding and Voldemort learns of your existence here then he will find it suspicious when rumour reaches him of you hiding in Godric’s Hollow when it is time for us to lure him in. He will be extra suspicious. Therefore there is only one other option to us,” said Dumbledore carefully. 

Sirius swallowed. “What?” He had a feeling what his former Headmaster was referring to. 

“You go on the run.” 

“Right. So I just travel to different destinations each day and hope I can stay several steps ahead of them?” asked Sirius. It was a sound idea and probably the only way he would be kept safe. 

“That is correct.” 

“Great. Still… I suppose it would mean I can stay one step ahead… And I could keep on planning what I need to do,” Sirius said thoughtfully. “Though one problem. The books you gave me to research old spells are still at my flat.” 

“Ah, no they are not,” smiled Dumbledore, reaching into his robes and extracting a bundle of books that had been shrunk. “Some have been ruined by the fire but most did already have protections upon them. You should still be able to find aspects of them useful.” 

Sirius gratefully took the shrunk package. 

“How much longer do you think you need?” 

Sirius bit his lip. “It’s just mastering these spells. Every piece of magic that is performed at our chosen location needs to be layered by me. If Voldemort suspects your magical signature he will panic… So…” 

“I see what you mean, Sirius, however I do not think we can put off our plan much longer,” Dumbledore pointed out. “It won’t be long until Voldemort comes after you himself. We have to be ready for him by then.” 

“I know…” swallowed Sirius. “But I need to learn these spells…” 

“You will. I have absolute faith in you,” said Dumbledore. “You have a determination within you that will enable your success. You are fighting for Harry. Keep at it and you will be rewarded.” He placed his hands on his desk. “Now, you may stay in the Castle tonight but tomorrow you will have to leave. I strongly suggest you camp out and move every day. We must be implanting this plan before the year is out. We will use Patronuses for communication and only when it is absolutely imperative we speak to one another.” 

Sirius narrowed his eyes. “You have a tracking charm on me at all times. You know where I will be.”

“Nevertheless we still need to remain in contact in some way. If I am seen leaving Hogwarts I can be traced by Death Eaters. I am not infallible,” the older man pointed out sagely. 

Sirius smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Could have fooled me.” 

\- - - - -

Sirius successfully went into hiding the next day, travelling day to day to a new destination before erecting a tent and placing protective spells around him. During the day he continued to research and practice the spells he needed to use against Voldemort. The problem was he didn’t know if they were working that well because he had no one to test the spells with. He did know he felt more powerful when he felt his magic vibrating through him and he had some semblance of control. 

He couldn’t be sure if he was doing it correctly but the only way he could test his theory was to face Voldemort. 

As the days grew colder and darker quicker, Sirius continued his isolation. He kept reminding himself this was for Harry and for James and Lily, both of whom had lived longer lives then the timeline Sirius had originally come from. 

As it neared the end of November, Sirius felt more confident in his abilities and decided he couldn’t keep hiding. Sending off his Patronus with a message to Dumbledore, he waited for the Phoenix to arrive with his next orders. 

\- - - - -

**Sunday 6th December 1981**

Peter trembled in his Lord’s presence. 

“What do you mean you don’t know where he is?” 

“My Lord… Si…irus has gone into hiding… I don’t know where! You know I’d tell you if I knew!” he stammered. 

“Worthless!” raged Voldemort, anger stirring in his eyes as Peter flinched back. “You are supposed to be in on the secrets, Pettigrew! How am I supposed to kill Potter if I cannot reach Black?” 

“Sirius has always been good at hiding…” shuddered Peter, eyeing the wand pointing at his face. 

“You have one more chance to find out his location before I make it my business to find him myself. Mark my words Pettigrew, if you fail me once again I will kill you.” 

“Yes…. Yes… Master…” Pettigrew cowed before his Lord. He stumbled away from him. 

“Good,” the evil eyes glinted as Peter Pettigrew rushed away. 

\- - - - -

“It seems we are just in time,” said Dumbledore, once more facing Sirius behind his desk. “My spy informs me Voldemort has given Peter Pettigrew an ultimatum. To find out where you are or he will kill him… If Pettigrew fails Voldemort will hunt you himself.” 

“Good timing,” mused Sirius, stroking his chin. He didn’t feel ready but time rapidly was running out. He’d spent longer in hiding then he had wished to but he’d had no choice. 

“What do you suggest?” enquired Dumbledore. 

“Since Voldemort is desperate to find me, then the best option is to make Pettigrew my Secret Keeper. That way Voldemort will come after me on his own and not with anyone else. Unless Peter tells them as well but I get the feeling Voldemort will come himself… He did when he killed James and Lily originally. He’d be confident he could capture me himself,” said Sirius. “Therefore I have to talk to Peter without trying to kill him… Something I’m not looking forward to.” 

“Well… You could have me perform the charm that makes Pettigrew your Secret Keeper. That way I am also in on the secret of your location. You will need me there when Voldemort faces you even if we do successfully capture him… or stall him,” explained Dumbledore. “Do you feel you can point your wand at him and use the killing curse?” 

“Yes,” replied Sirius darkly. He had to. It may hurt his soul but he was ready and willing to do so to protect those he loved. “It has to be me…” He’d been sent back for a reason. If it wasn’t to stop Voldemort and save his friends then why had he been? 

“Very well,” Dumbledore inclined his head in a gesture of respect. “Shall we begin constructing our final plan?” 

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing James, Lily and Harry together! There will be more moments like this coming...


	6. Betrayed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter betrays Sirius.

**Chapter Six**

**Monday 7th December 1981**

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax._

He kept the same five words running through his head as he waited for Peter Pettigrew to arrive. Sequestered in his new cottage close to the outskirts of Godric’s Hollow, Sirius breathed in deeply and out again as he told himself he had to talk to the traitor for his plan to work. The anger he still felt at Pettigrew betraying his friends was still there. Sirius knew he would never be able to forgive Peter for what he had done but it was essential for his plan to work that he act normally around him. He needed Pettigrew and for that to happen he had to trust him with his location.

Sirius and Dumbledore had discussed at length where he should hide. He didn’t have to stay in Godric’s Hollow but Dumbledore had said the town was magically powerful and it would be easier for Sirius to notify the magical community if things went badly wrong with his plan. He didn’t want to be this close in proximity to Lily and James but Dumbledore had convinced him to. The cottage Sirius was staying in was owned by the Dumbledore family and it was perhaps this reason his former Headmaster had insisted upon it. He also had the feeling it would be easier for Dumbledore to arrive to assist him since it was likely the cottage was connected to the Headmaster’s office. Since Sirius was the one who would be casting the Fidelius Charm, as soon as Voldemort arrived, he would break the charm, giving Dumbledore access to the cottage, if he deigned to come. Of course he didn’t really need a Secret Keeper – they could just leak his location to Voldemort - however if they did that then it was likely Voldemort would send Death Eaters to retrieve Sirius. The Fidelius Charm insured he would come himself. 

Pettigrew didn’t know he was meeting Sirius. He had been told he was seeing Albus Dumbledore. With Order of the Phoenix business the Headmaster always chose different locations to talk to those in the Order so it wasn’t out of the ordinary. 

There was a soft knock on the door and Sirius clasped his wand, striding forward and pulling the door open. 

Peter Pettigrew stood there, his blond hair flattened and slightly dirty and his watery eyes filled with worry until he saw Sirius instead of the Headmaster he had been expecting.   
“Padfoot!” the blonde man said surprised. 

Sirius forced a smile onto his face though inside his thoughts were raging at the smaller man. A part of him wanted to blast him to smithereens right now but he had to resist. “Hi Wormtail!” He pulled the man into a hug, all in line with the façade he was trying to pull. 

“I thought I was seeing Dumbledore…?” asked Pettigrew as he stepped into Sirius’ living room. 

“I’m being hunted by Voldemort, Wormtail. I’m not going to call you to meet me by saying where I am. Anyone could be watching what communications you get. Its better they believe you are with Dumbledore. This is all a way to protect me from being found.” 

Peter bit his lip. “But why are they hunting you?” 

Sirius shrugged. _You very well know why you rat!_ “Because I know where James and Lily are. But it is getting too dangerous for me now so I have come up with an ingenious plan to protect myself and that involves you.” 

“M…me…me?” stammered Peter in surprise, his facial expression emitting shock. 

“I trust you,” said Sirius earnestly, all the while thinking he didn’t. He was managing to bottle in his hate for Peter even though his fingers were itching to wrap around Peter’s throat. What stopped him were his reasons for needing Peter around currently. Peter was an integral part of Sirius’ plan. Without him Sirius didn’t know how he’d be able to pull it off. “Besides,” Sirius reached for Wormtail’s shoulder, “I know you would never betray me.” 

“Thanks… It means a lot you trust me… What do you need me for?” Peter asked. 

“Well… You know how James, Lily and Harry have gone into hiding, right?” checked Sirius and continued as Peter nodded, “I’m protecting them as their Secret Keeper. That’s why Voldemort is after me because I am the only person standing in his way in finding them. Dumbledore and I have deemed it too dangerous for me to rely on without protections. So… that’s where you come in, Wormtail.” He hated calling him with that old nickname but Sirius knew he had to. Ever since coming up with the names during their school years they mainly referred to each other with those names rather than their real ones. It could raise Pettigrew’s suspicions if he didn’t use it. 

“Are you asking me…” swallowed Peter, “to be your Secret Keeper?” 

Sirius nodded. “Yes I am.” 

“Wow,” Pettigrew whispered softly. “Are you sure I’m the right man for the job?” 

“Positive,” replied Sirius. He recalled Pettigrew saying the same thing to him when he had asked him to be James and Lily’s Secret Keeper. Was he trying to get out of it? 

“Am I really the best person for the job?” the smaller man swallowed, looking a bit fearful. 

“No one would suspect you to be Secret Keeper. It’s perfect. Not even Dumbledore knows I’ve chosen you,” answered Sirius. “No one would think to hide a Secret Keeper under the Fidelius Charm as well. This is double protection for James, Lily and Harry.”

“What about Moony?” 

“He’s…” Sirius bit his lip wondering how he could phrase his words. He was going to hate himself for this but it had to be done. “I think he’s a traitor, Wormtail. He’s always hanging around with the werewolves and when we do see him he’s always eager to know what we’ve been doing.” A little lie but hopefully enough to ease Pettigrew’s suspicions. “I can’t trust him with this.” 

“Right,” Pettigrew tried to smile. “Sure. I’ll do what I can to help.” 

“Thanks. Knew I could count on you,” said Sirius. _And as soon as this charm is done you will be running off to your Master to betray me…_

“Are we performing the charm now?” Peter asked. 

“Yes. I need to disappear. The longer I wait the higher chance there will be of Voldemort tracking me down,” explained Sirius. 

“Why can’t Dumbledore be your Secret Keeper?” asked Peter. 

_Is Peter trying to get out of it?_ Sirius’ eyes narrowed slightly. “He’s far too busy. We need him out in the open. He cannot afford to disappear whereas you and I can. I’m asking you because there is no one else I can trust to do this. It’s all about protecting Harry. You can do that, can’t you?”

Peter nodded. “Sure.” He sat down in one of the chairs in the lounge, fiddling with his fingers, something Sirius had come to recognise as nervousness. 

Sirius drew his wand which he had placed back in his pocket once he had greeted Pettigrew at the door. “Ok then. Before I cast the charm making you my Secret Keeper you have to know Dumbledore is waiting for you to see him at Hogwarts. He needs to know my location and he will know if you do not go straight to him. I haven’t told him I’m asking you though. But he wants the Secret Keeper to come to him once the charm is active.” This was a security measure Dumbledore had insisted upon. 

“Is he watching this place?” asked Pettigrew quietly, his voice slightly shaking. 

“Yes. He is. He’s got his eye over the whole area,” Sirius confirmed. “Only way he can make sure everyone is safe.” He refused to add that he would break the Fidelius Charm himself if he was attacked: Pettigrew didn’t know that. What they needed was Pettigrew to admit he was Secret Keeper. However Sirius was certain Pettigrew would run straight to Voldemort. Peter would expect Sirius to be captured or die and his position as spy would remain intact. Even though the Headmaster had put Sirius under a tracking charm, the use of the Fidelius would render it useless, hence why Dumbledore needed to know the Secret. Still, at least with Sirius performing the charm himself, he’d be able to deactivate the Fidelius if Pettigrew didn’t go to Dumbledore. If Sirius’ plan spectacularly failed and he was captured and taken from his place of safety at least Dumbledore would be able to trace him. 

“And he’s waiting for the Secret Keeper at Hogwarts?” Peter confirmed. 

Sirius could see the rat’s mind working. “If you refuse I will have to obliviate you.”

Peter shook his head, his blonde hair falling in strands around his face. “No. I want to be! I think it’s a great idea. No one will know it’s me apart from you and Dumbledore. Who would suspect me?” 

It was then Sirius knew Peter was not intending on going to Dumbledore at all. He’d be running straight to Voldemort to tell him Sirius’ location. Peter’s tone of voice and his eagerness and knowing the Headmaster didn’t know who the identity of the Secret Keeper yet was enough information for Pettigrew to believe he would be getting away easily with betraying Sirius. 

“Are you really sure?” asked Sirius again. 

Peter nodded. “More than anything. Of course I’ll protect you, Padfoot.” 

_Bet you said that to Prongs and Lily when they made you Secret Keeper. Bet you couldn’t believe your luck that they’d asked you over me. I’ll always regret that choice, even if they are safe now. Voldemort will never get to them._ Sirius plastered a smile across his face. “Thanks.” 

Peter stood from the chair. “I’m ready.” 

_Sure eager to betray me aren’t you, little rat?_ He was careful to maintain a neutral expression. 

Sirius raised his wand. “ _Secretis latentes _, Peter Pettigrew! I can only be found at The Old Farm, Farmer’s Way, Godric’s Hollow.” A burst of white light erupted from Sirius’ wand and winded its way around them both, tightening the magic that crackled in the air before disappearing as the Secret to Sirius’ location was fully encased in Peter Pettigrew.__

__Pettigrew took a deep breath in. “Did it work? I’ve never seen that spell before.”_ _

__“It has,” confirmed Sirius. This was one spell he and Dumbledore had practiced together before they had parted ways. “Thanks.”_ _

__After Peter had left, Sirius double-and-triple-checked his traps. Certain everything was in place, Sirius sat down on his settee, his wand resting loosely in his hands._ _

__The waiting game had begun._ _

__Now all he had to do was wait for the inevitable betrayal and hope he would survive the confrontation that was to come._ _

__\- - - - -_ _

__**Thursday 10th December 1981** _ _

__He was summoned to Voldemort four days after becoming Sirius’ Secret Keeper. The Mark burned on his arm and Peter instantly Apparated to the desired destination. He hurried through the doors of a great hall and into a throne room. Peter didn’t know exactly where this place – he had just been given the link through the Mark to Apparate to this location. His Master was intelligent enough to not allow anyone save those he trusted most with his exact location._ _

__“I gave you time to acquire the location of Sirius Black. Do you have results, Pettigrew, or will I have the pleasure of killing you for your failure?”_ _

__Peter trembled, keeping his head bowed. His voice shook as he spoke. “No…. my Lord… you will not… have to kill me…”_ _

__“You have his location,” his Master stated coldly._ _

__“I do…. He made me… his Secret Keeper… a few days… ago,” answered Peter, knowing his Master would seek to know for how long he had held onto the Secret for._ _

__“You did not come immediately to tell me. Why?” the cold voice accused him._ _

__Peter shivered. “I am still useful to you, my Lord. If I betrayed him right away then I might lose my place as a spy amongst my friends. Sirius… told me no one knows who he has picked… as his… Secret Keeper. Not even Dumbledore is aware of me.” He kept his head bowed, praying his Master would not simply kill him upon giving him the Secret. “I thought it best to wait before coming to you.”_ _

__“Were you given instructions to inform anyone else Black’s location?”_ _

__Peter shook his head. “I did not follow Sirius’ advice. Dumbledore was waiting for the Secret Keeper to tell him where Sirius was but I didn’t go so he does not know where Sirius is or my identity.”_ _

__“Good… You did well in ensuring Albus Dumbledore is incapable of finding Sirius Black.”_ _

__It was praise Peter had not received before. Yet he could not feel proud. He was about to become an accomplice to murder of one of his best friends. If he told Voldemort where Sirius was there was no way his Master would allow Sirius to live after telling him where James, Lily and Harry were hiding. He was about to betray a friend who trusted him…_ _

___It’s either me or Sirius. Besides, Sirius will never betray James. They’ll live. Sirius may die but You-Know-Who won’t get to them. I have to betray him. I’m sorry, Sirius._ _ _

__Voldemort spoke the cold words. “Where is Sirius Black?”_ _

__Peter swallowed. He didn’t have a choice. He opened his mouth and willingly betrayed one of his friends._ _

__\- - - - -_ _

__**Friday 11th December 1981** _ _

__He had expected Pettigrew to not arrive in his office after becoming Sirius’ Secret Keeper; what he hadn’t expected was Sirius to still be safely in hiding four days after the charm had been cast. Granted it was now the early hours of the fifth day but it made him wonder if Pettigrew had tried to protect the Potter’s originally but had ultimately betrayed them to save himself. There was no doubt about it that Pettigrew was a Death Eater but it seemed he wasn’t willingly giving the information up that quickly._ _

__“Perhaps he is loyal to us in some ways…” mused the Headmaster out-loud. He did, however, expect Sirius to be betrayed at some point. It was just a matter of when Pettigrew was summoned to the Dark Lord._ _

__It was then, as he considered that very thought, the charms he had placed on Sirius to keep track of his movements and his life signature suddenly alarmed, alerting him that something was wrong. The Fidelius had not been lifted yet. He couldn’t see where Sirius was even though he knew where he was, he just wouldn’t be able to see the place without having the knowledge from the Secret Keeper._ _

__It was happening. Sirius was in danger. And he needed to break the Fidelius otherwise Dumbledore wouldn’t be able to help him._ _

__He could, however, ensure that when the Fidelius Charm did break he was in the right place at the right time._ _

__Leaving a message for his deputy to hold the school while he was off conducting business, Albus Dumbledore quickly made haste through the grounds towards the gates so he could Apparate to Godric’s Hollow._ _

__He could feel it in his very bones: history was going to be made this night._ _

__\- - - - -_ _

__He stood in the road facing The Old Farm. It was an ancient cottage, one that seemed to shine with magical heritage. It was a shame he would have to ruin it to get to his prey. He was sure Black would put up a fight. He would be disappointed if the son of a noble family did not duel him._ _

__Everything he knew about the Black heir pointed to him not being a coward. He was a Gryffindor: he’d stand and fight._ _

__Voldemort smiled as he fingered his wand as his red eyes focused upon the man through the window. He was so certain his trap would work, not knowing that the enemy that sought him already knew._ _

___Black was a fool to leave those papers behind. A good thing Lucius deemed it necessary to copy them. I’m sure Black is intelligent enough to consider I may already know… It will not surprise me if he has added more traps. They will be easy to take down._ _ _

__He could feel the magic rippling in the air._ _

__A shame Pettigrew couldn’t deactivate the Fidelius Charm. Since Black had cast it he was the only one who could but it didn’t matter. He’d been told the Secret and he could walk into the house, knowing full well he would meet the man he was after._ _

__He stepped forward again, stopping in front of the gate, one hand hovering over it. He waved his wand, muttering incoherently under his breath as he felt the magic surrounding the house break. Perhaps if he hadn’t known about the traps in advance he would have just walked on through and Black’s plan would have succeeded… however now he knew of the existence of them he could easily counter-act the defences Black had employed, shattering them easily without him knowing before it was too late._ _

__Focusing his magic, Voldemort let loose a destructive course of energy, completely shattering the defences and destroying the alarms that would have alerted Black to his presence._ _

__Smirking, Voldemort stepped up to the door._ _

__He muttered one word._ _

___“Reducto!”_ _ _

__\- - - - -_ _

__He felt uneasy._ _

__Pettigrew hadn’t betrayed him yet._ _

__And Sirius wondered why._ _

__Or perhaps he had and Voldemort hadn’t acted yet, choosing to give Sirius time to get comfortable believing he was safe in trusting Pettigrew. Unless Voldemort was deliberately choosing not to come, especially if he did know of Sirius’ plans to trap him. The longer Sirius waited for something to happen, the more paranoid he became._ _

__He was concerned that the notes Dumbledore had retrieved from his ruined flat had been seen and copied by the Death Eaters, choosing to leave them there for Sirius to find if he came back for them. Not knowing if the Death Eaters had seen them was the only drawback in Sirius’ plan but they had to go with it, in the hope the Death Eaters had not been intelligent enough to copy the notes and show them to their Master._ _

__Since he’d had time in the days since the Fidelius Charm had been cast, Sirius had set up additional traps and had several other plans that he could fall back on if Voldemort came calling and easily disarmed his traps._ _

__All he could do was wait._ _

__Sirius rubbed a weary hand down his face. It was getting late. Perhaps he should go to bed. But he still felt uneasy. He felt something was going to happen. He felt like he was being watched._ _

__As he stepped out of the living room and into the hallway to make his way towards the stairs, the front door burst open and Sirius went flying as a spell impacted against his chest. His wand was ripped from his hand with a well-placed disarming spell. Laughter echoed in his ears as Lord Voldemort stepped into the house, his red eyed focusing upon him as Sirius got slowly to his feet, his wand now being held in Voldemort’s left hand._ _

__Sirius reached for his mental link with the traps he had set. They weren’t there. The traps were gone. As had his alarms he’d put in place to warn him of any unexpected visitors._ _

__“You are such a fool to go through with your plan to trap me, Black,” laughed Voldemort. “I have easily disarmed your pitiful attempts to lure me into one.” He stepped forward, a malevolent grin spreading across his once handsome face. “You’re mine now.”_ _

___Shit. He knew._ _ _

__He was dead. So, so dead._ _

__\- - - - -_ _

__Harry was crying as Lily cradled him in her arms. He’d been crying for ten minutes non-stop and she couldn’t figure out why. He’d been sleeping calmly in his crib in the nursery when he’d started to cry. He wasn’t hungry and as far as Lily could tell he hadn’t had a nightmare. Her charms would have picked up on it but something was distressing him._ _

__“Oh Harry… Muma’s here. Dada’s here.” She looked over her shoulder as James approached her, his messy hair sticking up and he yawned widely._ _

__“He usually sleeps through the night,” he commented._ _

__Lily nodded. Harry rarely woke up in the night anymore. “I don’t know what’s upsetting him.” She hugged him tighter as tears continued to fall from his bright green eyes. He was pulling on her hair, clutching her night dress and seeking any comfort he could._ _

__More minutes past and still Harry would not stop crying. Nothing could distract him: toys, singing and James even turned into Prongs to try to distract his son, but nothing worked. Harry kept on crying._ _

__James opened the curtains and led Lily to the window. “Hey, Harry. Look out there. Do you see our cat?” Below them he could just make out the tail of their cat. It often sneaked outside at night._ _

__Harry didn’t pay attention, just turned his head away from the window, crying louder._ _

__Lily sighed. “Nice try, James.”_ _

__Then Harry stopped crying. His little head turned and his bright green eyes shone with tears as he looked out of the window, just as a huge explosion echoed a few streets away. Fire erupted from a house and smoke quickly cascaded into the air._ _

__“What the-?” James leapt forward, pressing his nose against the glass. “What?”_ _

__But it was Harry’s next words that got their full attention._ _

__“Pafoo. Pafoo’s hurt.”_ _

__**To be continued...** _ _


	7. The Duel in Godric's Hollow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and Voldemort duel....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The spells used in this chapter were invented by Robin4 for her Unbroken Universe who has kindly given me permission to use them.

**Friday 11th December 1981**

It was at this present time Sirius recognised he had two choices. The first was to keep Voldemort talking and hope he wouldn’t torture him too much in his effort to find James, Lily and Harry, which wasn’t something he could give anyway but as long as Voldemort believed him to be the key to their whereabouts he hopefully wouldn’t kill him. The second choice was far more him: be reckless and fight back. Even without a wand to hand, Sirius could still be a formidable opponent when he wanted to be.

The Dark Lord just stood there watching him with those blazing red eyes. It was very unnerving. 

“You have information I require,” the Dark Lord finally said. “You sought to trap me and failed. Now we have all the time in the world. Your Secret Keeper never told anyone else where you were. There is no one to rescue you and no one to hear you scream.” 

Sirius swallowed, his eyes moving rapidly around the room, looking for anything that could help him. All the traps he had set had been deactivated. Voldemort had only checked for them because he had known what to expect. 

“I should thank you for leaving your notes behind. If my loyal Death Eaters had not decided to investigate then perhaps your trap would have worked and you wouldn’t be in the position you are now as my prisoner.” 

“I am not your prisoner!” spat Sirius viciously glaring angrily at the monster in front of him. 

“You have no wand. No way to escape me,” the snake answered. He flicked his wand and ropes shot out of the end, heading towards Sirius who ducked out the way, moving to the other side of the room. 

“I am not coming with you! Nor will I submit to be questioned by you!” he answered. It wasn’t his best idea to bait Voldemort but he had to do something. His traps were destroyed by Voldemort’s magic and he needed his wand to be able to deactivate the Fidelius Charm. He could do wandless magic but to break the Fidelius Charm he needed a wand. He really should have considered obtaining a second wand yet it was the one thing he had not considered when planning his own confrontation with Voldemort. 

Of course he could have just as easily deactivated the Fidelius Charm after Peter had left, unfortunately ancient research had suggested the Secret Keeper would know the charm had been lowered, therefore ensuring Voldemort wouldn’t come after him if he could easily send his own Death Eaters to do his dirty work. 

“You have one thing I want,” stated Voldemort coldly. “Make it easy on yourself. Tell me where the Potters are and your suffering will be short.” 

Sirius raised one eyebrow, glaring hatefully at his enemy. He snorted as he spoke. “Threatening to kill me isn’t going to make me want to tell you where my best friends are!” 

“Perhaps not…” admitted Voldemort casually, “but I have plenty of time to get it from you. No one can hear you scream. _Crucio!_ ” 

Sirius rolled out of the way of the curse, stumbling back into the living room, searching for anything to duel with. He watched with weary eyes as Voldemort strode into the living room. Sirius’ wand was still held in his left hand and he brought it up to his red-flaming eyes. 

“I don’t think you need this anymore, do you?” said Voldemort cheerfully. He snapped Sirius’ wand in half and threw the pieces of wood to the side. 

Sirius stared at the pieces that were once his wand. _Shit._ He was so screwed. Unless… It was likely a false hope but perhaps – 

_“Crucio!”_

The torture curse hit him and he crumpled, writhing in agony. He screamed as pain rocked his body. _God, this hurts. This really hurts!_ He’d been hit by the Cruciatus Curse before but never by Voldemort. He had complete and utter control of it and his power levels ensured the level of pain caused was high. 

Sirius buckled, his spine twisting left and right as he tried to break free from the curse. He needed a wand… He knew there was a counter-curse… Pain boggled his mind and just as his vision began to darken the curse was lifted. 

“Now, will you co-operate with my demands or will I have to do that again?” It was scary how calm Voldemort sounded. 

Sirius coughed, his body shaking as he tried to control his reactions. “You know… this… wasn’t… what… I had… planned… for a… Friday… night. Maybe… a good book… or film… but not… this.” He really shouldn’t try to be sarcastic with Voldemort as the next thing he knew he was screaming again as the Cruciatus Curse hit him for the second time. 

_“Econtra Cruci!”_ wheezed Sirius, putting all his effort, all his power into throwing off the torture curse. It rebounded upon its caster. He had never been able to throw off the Cruciatus Curse without a wand before but he had heard it was possible. He lay on the floor, eyes closed. 

“To be able to throw the torture curse back at me even in your weakened state is an impressive feat,” said Voldemort as he stalked closer to his prisoner. He pointed his wand at Sirius’ shaking form. “Tell me.” 

Sirius opened his eyes. It had taken a lot of energy to throw the Cruciatus Curse off without his wand. Biting his lower lip, Sirius focused upon his magic. He had to find a way out or at least something he could duel with. His wand was snapped so even if he was able to get hold of one of the ends it would be useless to work with. 

“Give me… one… good…reason… why… I should…betray…my…friends,” he wheezed. As soon as Voldemort realised he didn’t know the Secret the quicker his death would be unless he used him to find out who the real Secret Keeper was. He had to keep up the charade he was playing. 

“Because your death will be excruciatingly painful if you do not.” 

“Fantastic,” murmured Sirius. Focusing his mind on his hand, thinking of what he needed to do, he channelled his magic. Wandless magic was difficult to perform but Sirius did have experience at it. During his two years as a fugitive he had learned to use magic without a wand and it had come in pretty handy. Right now, in this time, a young Sirius Black wouldn’t know how to, yet he wasn’t young anymore. He may be in a young body and assumed to be in his early twenties but he still maintained all the skills he had learned from the previous timeline. 

_“Venderum!”_ he hissed and the spell cast hit Voldemort and sent him flying back. Sirius quickly followed it up with another spell, casting the room and the house into darkness.

Ignoring the pain in his body and the jet of green light that shot his way, Sirius scrambled for the door frame, pulling himself out of the living area and towards the stairs. He felt exhausted. The effort of putting so much energy into casting off the Cruciatus Curse as well as sending a powerful curse against Voldemort and turning the lights out had effectively drained him. He couldn’t afford to lose it. Everything depended on him. 

He reached the stairs and pulled himself up, one at a time. He saw light erupt from Voldemort’s wand. Gritting his teeth, he moved his arm again and delved down into himself and muttered _‘Aboriscum’_. It was an old spell he had found in the books he had been studying and one that made the caster invisible for a short amount of time.  
He could have taken this opportunity to escape, leave the confines of the Fidelius Charm but he still had hope he could win if only he could find a bloody wand! 

“You can’t hide from me, Black!” screeched Voldemort. 

Sirius scurried up the stairs as quietly as possible, ignoring the pain wracking his body and biting his lips to avoid screaming and giving up his location. He reached the top of the stairs and took a deep breath, crawling forward towards the closed door to the right. He reached for the handle but found it locked. 

The other doors to the upper floor rooms were open. Why was this one locked? 

Taking a risk, Sirius cast the unlocking charm and pushed the door open. It creaked loudly as he pushed it wide open. Feet thundered on the stairs and Sirius scrambled back into the room as quickly as possible, pressing himself into the corner, hoping against hope the charm he had used to make himself invisible was still in operation. 

Voldemort appeared in the doorway, his face angry and his eyes blazing with hatred. 

Sirius stilled his breathing and waited. 

Voldemort turned and moved to the next room. 

Heart beating hard in his chest Sirius moved towards a desk that sat against the wall. To his utter surprise he found a wand in the top-most drawer of the desk. It was old and splintered and had seen good use. 

Clutching his fingers around the wood, Sirius slowly stood from his position only to find Voldemort standing right behind him, a dangerous smile crossing his snake-like face.  
He was no longer protected by the charm he had used to make himself invisible. 

“I thought I heard your breathing in here,” laughed Voldemort, raising his wand. 

Sirius countered, still feeling dazed and exhausted. 

Then he felt something in his head, scrambling around his brain and he realised with horror Voldemort was attempting to read his mind. Sirius slammed his barriers down, surprised to find they had fallen. Perhaps using so much magic in a short amount of time had torn his barriers down, leaving his mind unprotected and Voldemort a chance to dig around?

“Get out of my head!” snarled Sirius. A spark of fear trickled into his stomach. He really hoped Voldemort hadn’t seen anything in the few moments he had been able to explore Sirius’ mind. 

“You are not the Secret Keeper.” 

_Oh shit._

“I’ve been chasing the wrong man.” Voldemort’s voice was getting quieter and quieter. Sirius didn’t like that. 

“They were smarter than I assumed they would be… Especially in choosing Albus Dumbledore to hide them,” continued Voldemort dangerously. 

Sirius took a step back, clutching the wand he had found tightly in his hand. He was quite literally cornered. He had nowhere to go and he knew instinctively what curse was to come.

“But there is something different about _you,_ ” snarled Voldemort. 

“Fuck,” Sirius swore. Somehow, despite pushing Voldemort out of his head, the Dark Lord still had a hunch he was different. 

“I didn’t see much in your head before you raised your defences and shut me out but I do know you are not really twenty-two years old, _time-traveller_.” 

Sirius’ eyes widened. He raised the wand he’d found and bellowed: “ _Cadovallum!_ ” 

The walls came crashing down around him as he made a dash around Voldemort and out of the room, even as the Dark Lord tried to reach out and grab him.

A new burst of energy rushed through his body as he ran back down the hall, leaping down the stairs until he was at the bottom again. Waving his wand he quickly muttered a few spells hoping Voldemort would run straight into him, thinking Sirius to be too weak to extend any more magical power. 

The traps he had hastily laid worked as a screech of fury erupted from Voldemort’s throat as he sprinted right into a web of spells. The shocking spell, the bone breaker, the slowing down spell and the hammer curse all at once cascaded down upon the Dark Lord. 

The combination of spells threw Voldemort back, his wand falling from his fingers as he fell through another door and down into a cellar. 

Sirius grabbed for the abandoned wand and pursued, heart beating fast in his chest. This was it, this was the moment. It hadn’t panned out how he had planned but fate seemed to be on his side now. He could feel his energy draining from him but he forced himself to continue. He had to. He had this one chance: one chance to stop Voldemort.

He entered the cellar and cast his gaze around. 

Voldemort was getting to his feet. 

Their eyes met. 

Sirius didn’t hesitate. _“Avada Kedavra!”_

A burst of green light erupted from the wand in his hand. 

But Voldemort flung himself out of the way. 

Sirius barely had time to think as the Dark Lord flew at him, hands reaching for his throat and the wand. They tumbled together, each trying to maintain a grip on the wand, even as Voldemort’s thin fingers found his throat, Sirius shouted: _“Confringo!”_

The blasting curse hit Voldemort directly in the chest. Voldemort screeched, releasing Sirius in the process as the younger man fell down, his legs giving way. The Dark Lord’s robes were on fire, quickly encasing his body in flames. He was burning; his skin was beginning to melt due to the intense heat… 

Red eyes caught his own and without warning a dark curse exited Voldemort’s hand and headed straight for Sirius. He rolled, screaming in pain as his injuries made it difficult to move quickly but his movement was enough as the curse sailed above him, hitting the wall behind him. 

And then everything exploded. 

\- - - - -

Dumbledore saw it happen. 

His childhood home exploded as the Fidelius Charm broke of its own accord due to the fierce nature of the eruption. The walls crashed together and the floors broke apart falling down upon one another. Fire leapt from the building and another smaller explosion boomed, rocking the ground beneath his feet. 

Dumbledore stumbled, nearly losing his footing. 

He rushed towards the still-standing gate, robes flaying around him, holding his wand in hand. The majority of the house was completely destroyed. It seemed the explosion had come from the basement. Was Sirius still alive? Had Voldemort survived? 

The house was mostly destroyed and he carefully moved towards the wreckage. He walked towards the right and started to put out the fire, using a very powerful Augumenti charm to reduce the burning building. With the fire out though still smoking, Dumbledore moved forward and started to levitate parts of the house up. 

He hoped he was right in guessing Sirius had been in the basement when the explosion happened but it was also likely he had died in it. Unless he was incredibly lucky. 

He hastily levitated the bottom floor out the way and behind him he could hear the sounds of movement. Muggles were coming to investigate as well as witches and wizards who resided in the area. He hoped fervently James and Lily wouldn’t arrive – he hoped they would use their common sense to stay away from the area. 

Dumbledore erected a privacy shield and a barrier to stop anyone from interfering with his work. He knew he could rely on resident witches and wizards to keep the Muggles away.  
Dust rose from the earth as he found the basement. The majority of the house had fallen into it. 

And that was when he saw him: curled up in a ball, a shield wrapped around his body, valiantly protecting its caster, was Sirius Black. 

Stumbling forward the Headmaster knelt down and saw in Sirius’ hand was his old wand. The wand he had planted back at the house when he had offered the building for Sirius’ plan. He had guessed Voldemort would disarm Sirius and the man would attempt to flee and he had hoped he would find his old wand… 

Dumbledore reached forward and used a small burst of magic to make Sirius’ shield disappear and reached for the man’s shoulder. He was unconscious so how he was able to maintain a shield he didn’t know. Granted he had known from watching the boy grow up during his seven years of Hogwarts that he was powerful but to keep a shield up even after being thrown unconscious was a miracle. He could feel Sirius’ magical signature was strained and he had overpowered himself. He was also severely injured. 

“My boy,” he muttered. Looking around Dumbledore saw a mess of black robes amongst a pool of melted skin. Blood mingled with the colour and the Headmaster realised this mess had once been Voldemort. His breath stilled as he considered the implications. Was Voldemort truly dead? Had Sirius done it? But according to Sirius’ memories Voldemort had survived in the old timeline which meant it was likely he had survived this… It was just his body had been destroyed by the fire and explosion. 

A hissing sound drew his attention back to Sirius’ prone form on the ground. Blood was still leaking from various wounds the man had suffered but he wasn’t what had made the sound. Instead above him was a cloud of grey smoke but Dumbledore could feel malevolent evil emanating from it. He raised his wand and pointed it at the grey smoke. 

“Leave now, Voldemort.” He knew on instinct the cloud was Voldemort’s damaged spirit.

A snake-like face formed from the cloud. The cloud screeched as it turned towards Dumbledore. Words could just about be deciphered from it. 

“I will have my revenge!” 

“Not today, Tom,” Dumbledore said, changing tactics. He rarely called Voldemort by the name he had chosen to his face but when he did, he usually did for a reason. But it was Voldemort’s next words that made him worry. 

“The time-traveller will be _mine!_ ” Voldemort’s screech echoed loud and clear and Dumbledore just got a shield up in time to protect Sirius’ prone form as the spirit of the Dark Lord flew forward. The shield caused Voldemort to bounce and he flew into the air screaming. Dumbledore watched as the spirit fled, knowing that he wouldn’t return until he was powerful again. 

Returning to Sirius’ side, Dumbledore knelt down, dismissing his shield. His eyes studied the younger man. How had Voldemort known? As he stared into Sirius’ mind he realised with concern that the Occlumency shields the young man could erect were not there. “Of course,” he muttered. “Magical exhaustion.” 

That was the answer. 

Clearly Sirius had magically exhausted himself using wandless magic, causing the barriers on his mind to drop and leave his mind free to read. It was the last thing they needed. Still, Voldemort knowing about Sirius’s true identity might mean he would refrain from hunting the Potters or the Longbottoms. 

Looking around at the wreckage Dumbledore conjured a Patronus. He needed to send an immediate message to the Ministry and get Sirius the medical help he needed. Taking Sirius’ body into his arms, Dumbledore Apparated. 

\- - - - -

Harry had finally stopped crying and gone back to sleep. He seemed exhausted. His little hand still kept hold of his mother’s clothing as he lay on her chest. James lay next to her, having finally closed their bedroom curtains. 

He turned his head towards her. “What do you think Harry meant by Padfoot is hurt?” 

Lily shrugged. “I don’t know,” she frowned. “You don’t think he was in that explosion do you?” 

“I hope he wasn’t. But why would Sirius be in Godric’s Hollow? Hiding here would just be folly on his part, not when it is so close to us,” said James. 

“I don’t know… The blast that we saw… I think it came from where the Dumbledore family lived. If Sirius is working with Dumbledore than it is possible…” Lily shook her head. “I hope he isn’t because then we will wonder if he is…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. 

James sat up. “Yet Harry seemed to know something was wrong with Padfoot. Why?” 

“I think we are going to have to talk to Dumbledore,” said Lily, “when we can. It could be Harry had a nightmare about Sirius…” 

“You said your charms revealed Harry hadn’t had a nightmare,” James pointed out. 

Lily sighed. “I know.” She stroked her son’s hair. “I could be wrong.” 

A slight smile tugged at James’ lips. “Lil, you’re never wrong with your charms.” 

Lily grimaced. “There is always the first time.”

\- - - - -

Instead of taking Sirius to St Mungo’s, Dumbledore chose to return to Hogwarts. There was only one person he could trust. If word got out Sirius had been there at the time of Voldemort’s defeat, his supporters would put two and two together and come straight to attack Sirius in revenge. 

While the Matron worked on Sirius’ injuries, Dumbledore travelled back to Godric’s Hollow. First he had to make a stop at James and Lily’s. He was gratified to know they had stayed safely in their house. It was one of the reasons why he had refused to tell James and Lily what he and Sirius were up to. If they knew Sirius had been in Godric’s Hollow too they would have left their sanctuary – or James Potter would at least. 

Arriving at the cottage, Dumbledore passed through the Fidelius Charm barrier and walked up the path. It was still the middle of the night, only an hour had passed since he had left with Sirius. The Ministry were at the ruined house trying to piece together the facts before submitting any news to the public. 

Sending a Patronus to James and Lily to announce his arrival, Dumbledore unlocked their front door and walked inside their house, settling himself into their living room, just as James and Lily entered, with Harry still curled up sleeping against his mother’s chest.

“James, Lily… Thank you for staying in safety earlier,” he began. “I thought it best for you to hear this from me rather than the media. I know you still use the Wireless to keep up with events. No doubt tonight’s ones will be the focus for the next few weeks.” 

James and Lily exchanged significant expressions. 

“What happened at your house, Professor?” asked Lily, quite boldly. 

Dumbledore chuckled. “You realised it was at my old home then?” He shook his head. He should have expected it. “Sirius and Voldemort were there tonight.” 

James instantly paled. 

“Sirius is alive, James,” Dumbledore stopped the younger man from asking. “And Voldemort has been defeated.” 

“WHAT?” shouted James as Lily’s mouth fell open in shock. “How? 

“From my own deductions it seems Sirius set Voldemort on fire and one of them ended up using a spell which hit a very explosive object in the cellar of my old home. Voldemort’s body is destroyed but his soul lives on. I saw it myself however the war has ended… Voldemort is no longer a threat to you if he does not have a body. But for now I will leave the Fidelius Charm in place until I am sure the threat is well and truly over,” explained Dumbledore. “There are always is supporters left who could continue to cause havoc.” 

“Why was Sirius hiding in Godric’s Hollow?” asked James. 

Dumbledore sighed. “Sirius had a plan to trap Voldemort and end the war. I agreed to assist him in this goal. Voldemort believed Sirius was your Secret Keeper and sought him. Due to the nature of our plans, we agreed for Sirius to hide under the Fidelius Charm as well and his Secret Keeper was Peter Pettigrew.” 

“Sirius had a Secret Keeper?” James’ face blanched. “Peter’s dead?” 

“No,” answered Dumbledore. “He is very much alive and is currently at home.” 

James gaped at him even as Lily let out a soft gasp. 

“Peter is the traitor,” stated Lily. “He gave Voldemort Sirius’ location.” 

“I can’t believe Peter is a traitor,” swallowed James. “He wouldn’t do that to us.” 

Dumbledore sighed and reached forward, patting him on the shoulder. “I am afraid James there is concrete evidence of Peter being the spy. He doesn’t know Sirius told me about who he was picking as Secret Keeper. We have him under surveillance. As soon as he learns Sirius lives he will attempt to flee.”

James looked stubborn. “But… he…” 

Lily would have reached for her husband’s hand if she hadn’t been holding Harry. “James… If he was Sirius’ Secret Keeper and he is still at home… He betrayed him willingly… You know that’s how the charm works. You can’t torture the Secret out of the Secret Keeper – it has to be given willingly. Though it is possible to want to give the Secret up to stop the pain, but the charm knows when one is being forced to as opposed to wanting to really give it up. But Peter’s safe at home. He betrayed all of us willingly.” 

“We always knew there was someone close to you who was passing your movements to the Death Eaters,” clarified Dumbledore. 

“You thought it was Sirius,” stated James coldly. 

Dumbledore bowed his head. “I am glad I was wrong about that.” 

“So,” swallowed Lily, shifting her arms so Harry lay more comfortable, “what happened tonight?” 

“Voldemort arrived to capture Sirius and force him to reveal your location. I have not yet spoken to Sirius but as far as I can tell they did duel and judging by Sirius’ injuries he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse several times. And he was disarmed. Sirius managed to get upstairs and find my old wand, which I had placed there a few days ago just in case. I know when it comes to questioning potential prisoners, Voldemort prefers to disarm them and snap their wand. Obviously Sirius found my wand as I found him with it. As far as I can tell what destroyed Voldemort’s body was Sirius setting him on fire, followed by the explosion which he was in very close proximity with. That destroyed his body. It is rather a miracle Sirius survived intact too as I believe he was closer to the explosion than Voldemort was.” 

James looked worried. “How did he survive?” 

“Somehow he managed to get a shield up in time to protect himself,” answered Dumbledore. “He was unconscious as well and is now magically exhausted. It will probably be a few days before he is well enough to talk and I must ask, James, that you do not try to leave to visit him until after I have spoken with him. I know you would want to see him but the Fidelius Charm will be remaining active for a little while longer.” 

James sighed and rubbed a weary hand over his face. “Okay. Fine. What about Remus?” 

“He is currently undercover with the werewolf packs. He is due home in the next month though I am sure once word has leaked out Voldemort has been defeated, Remus will leave of his own accord.” 

“And Peter?” asked James stonily. 

“He will be brought in for questioning. The news about Voldemort’s defeat has yet to be released and I have informed the Ministry to bring him in.” Dumbledore looked at Harry sleeping in his mother’s arms. “And how is Harry?” 

Lily brushed a bit of black hair out of her son’s face. “He’s been fine, happy and bubbly but…” she hesitated, “Harry seemed to know something was going on last night. He wouldn’t stop crying and my charms couldn’t sense why he was upset… Then he stopped just before the explosion happened and said ‘Pafoo hurt.’”

“’Pafoo’ is Harry’s name for Sirius,” interjected James. 

“Then he started crying again,” finished Lily. “It’s just… now we know Sirius really was hurt… How did Harry know?” 

This was interesting. He had a theory. “Do you mind if I enter Harry’s mind? See if I can find anything that could explain his reaction?” 

James and Lily exchanged significant glances. Finally, Lily nodded. 

“Do you need him awake? I know you need to have eye-contact,” said James. 

Dumbledore shook his head. “No. I am not performing Legilimancy on him. I am using an ancient spell to look at his magical essence. I have a theory that can be confirmed in this way.” 

“Are you going to tell us your theory?” enquired Lily quietly. 

“I will,” confirmed Dumbledore. He raised a hand and muttered a word. His magic stretched out towards the little boy. As he searched the boy’s magical power he saw how powerful he could be when trained properly. But within that magical power, within Harry himself, was a single glowing strand. There were other strands around Harry’s magical essence but they did not glow. These two faded strands were that of his parents however the glowing one seemed to be a direct connection to Sirius Black. He could sense Sirius’ presence on the boy’s magical essence. Sirius, somehow, had a bond with Harry. How it had happened he didn’t know. But it did feel new as if it had only been formed recently.  
In Sirius’ old timeline, when he had fallen through the Veil, Sirius had been met by a dead James and Lily. Their spirits had sent his older consciousness spiralling back through time to inhibit his younger body. Could they have been responsible for this? 

He doubted they would ever learn the truth since that timeline didn’t exist anymore. 

“It appears Harry has a magical bond with Sirius. I sense three bonds on him. The first two link him with the both of you however it isn’t magically active which is normal. The parent-child bond is rarely active. In fact bonds are hardly active at all – they are there to symbolise who we feel close to and who we love. Bonds are a branch of magic that is difficult to study. But Harry’s bond with Sirius is magically active. They are linked, possibly mentally linked. I suspect due to this link, Harry felt Sirius in danger and become distressed over it. Unable to communicate in words what he was feeling or perhaps even seeing, he just cried.”

James swallowed. “If Harry has this link with Sirius then does Sirius have one with Harry?” 

Dumbledore stroked his beard. “I would assume so. Magically active bonds are so rare that the last known case was over a thousand years ago and even then it was considered impossible and highly unlikely. We are dealing with a unique opportunity that has not risen within our world for a very long time. I will clarify within Sirius’ mind if he has a magically active link with Harry once I have spoken to him. I would not worry about the link, James, Lily… It could be a very positive thing to happen.” 

“Ok,” nodded Lily quietly. “Sirius knew about Pettigrew didn’t he? Before he was betrayed himself. That’s why he didn’t want Peter to be our Secret Keeper, wasn’t it?” 

“Very astute of you, Lily,” praised the Headmaster. “That is correct. You might wonder why Sirius chose Peter to be his Secret Keeper despite knowing he was a traitor…”

James’ face darkened. “It’s not like Sirius to sit around and let himself be betrayed.” 

“It was part of the trap Sirius and I had worked together on to defeat Voldemort. It was a huge risk and could have ended in Sirius’ death. But it hasn’t. We didn’t have any proof Peter was the spy that could be used in a court of law however now we do and he can be tried accordingly. I suspect, once he has been interrogated, Peter will confess to a lot of activities which resulted in the deaths of many of our members. It is horrible to consider a friend could do that but…” 

“Sirius has the evidence,” said James. “I just can’t believe he would do that to us…” 

“I am truly sorry, James. Perhaps when Peter is in custody you will be able to question him and find out why. I know the four of you were extremely close. It saddens me that the bond of brotherhood you shared has been broken,” said Dumbledore solemnly. He stood to leave. “I have other business to attend to now. I will be in touch and I will inform you when Sirius wakes. If Harry has any other distressing episodes that you cannot explain, please contact me.”

\- - - - -

By the end of the night, the Ministry of Magic announced the end of the war and the news was covered in the Daily Prophet. The Aurors moved in on an unsuspecting Peter Pettigrew three hours before the news broke and brought him into custody. 

Sirius remained in a magical coma, having exhausted himself in battle, and Voldemort had fled the country. 

Across the country, in every part of the Wizarding community, witches and wizards celebrated the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. 

Instead of Harry Potter becoming a hero and the saviour of the Wizarding World, it was Sirius Black, though he did not know it.

Across the world, in the deep forests of Albania, Voldemort rested and bided his time, waiting for the moment he could have his revenge on the man who had defeated him. It would be many years before that day would come. 

**To be continued…**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok… so who was expecting Voldemort to realise Sirius was from the future? 
> 
> I figured using Wandless magic would really exhaust a wizard and Sirius was using some advanced spells. Since Occlumency is a magical defence I figured if Sirius was using so much power to use magic wandlessly it is likely to make his barriers fall as he has no magical power to help protect himself. Naturally Voldemort would take every opportunity to get into his mind and once he does, Voldemort would easily learn Sirius is not the Secret Keeper and is from the future. 
> 
> I also think Dumbledore would have ensured Sirius had a second wand available if he was disarmed and he also knows Sirius wouldn’t run from a fight, even when it is going wrong. That’s why he hid the wand upstairs. Dumbledore’s mistake was not telling Sirius in advance why he had done so. This will be explained more in the next chapter. For clarification, Dumbledore has the Elder Wand: the wand Sirius obtained is Dumbledore’s original wand from when he was eleven. 
> 
> Voldemort survived because of his Horcruxes though his body was destroyed by the fire and the blast. Essentially he was melted and torn to pieces at the same time. His spirit lives on… 
> 
> Harry and Sirius have a mental link. This will eventually be explained as to why it exists.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!


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